by Daju Lee
Arriving at the castle, they found that a small competition was taking place in the garden. Juna and Hyun were currently winning in a boat race on the lake. Louie was sitting under a canopy, avoiding the sun and beside him the servants were fanning him. Finishing the race victorious, Juna and Hyun went into the canopy holding a crystal trophy, with cheers from many other people.
"Don't splash dirty water and keep to the side." Louie warned as they approached.
As Juna, soaked in water, passed by, Louie panicked and pointed out his clothes to a servant. As he tried to wipe off the water, he ordered: "Bring me new clothes!" No sooner had he said it than a servant took off the spoiled coat and changed it to a new one embroidered with gold thread. Satisfied, Louie with an arrogant look then demanded a new drink with ice.
"You are being too demanding!"
Losing his temper, Jinho warned him. However, Juna and Hyun were focused solely on conversation about their winning race, unlike Jinho, who frowned at Louie's behaviour.
"What?" Not having heard him, Louie said.
"Try not to be so rude. You are not even a real lord."
Stunned by his lecturing, Louie even started stammering.
"What are you talking about? I am the king of this country." He continued, "The castle here, the garden and the people in this country all belong to me. Don't they, Butler Eun?"
Louie indignantly asked Eun, who approached in silence after being summoned.
"Of course."
Having a warm smile, Eun made a gesture to the staff with one hand. Upon receiving his signal, they brought a table with a white tablecloth, and subsequently served grand dishes decorated with flowers and fruits.
Louie seemed to have become even more delusional. Seeing Louie proudly sitting at the centre of the table really annoyed Jinho.
"Butler Eun, we came to the conclusion that the prison we are searching for is not here on the island. If it's not here, we have to leave in order to find it. I am sorry for all the inconvenience we have you caused so far."
Jinho showed gratitude with all his heart. Overhearing the conversation, Juna who was talking to Hyun stopped the conversation and looked at Jinho.
"Really, don't worry. You've never made any inconveniences to us here. I am so sad that you have decided to leave so soon. Before you leave, please help yourself and have the food we have prepared."
The butler moved back as though there was nothing more that could be done to persuade Jinho. As he left the area, Juna's expression turned into a frown. Jinho could tell how she would feel. Since Juna had followed Jinho in search of his father, she had been never so bright and jolly like she was on this island. He really wanted her to remain as happy as she was here.
"Jinho, come and try it. It is so delicious." Hyun handed a strawberry cake to Jinho. Leaving cream around his mouth after eating it, Hyun looked innocent like a child.
After the meal, Jinho announced to the group gathered in the room that it was time to leave. Ignoring his suggestion to discuss it, Louie hurriedly walked out as if to escape whilst Juna stayed firm, a serious look on her face.
"Is deciding for all of us your hobby?" Feeling upset, Juna raised her voice, continuing, "Shouldn't you ask everyone's opinion first?"
"Are you saying, you never want to leave?" Asked Jinho.
"Of course I'll leave, but just not right now. I am going when I want to."
"When would you like to go?"
"I don't know yet."
"You don't know? Do we all have to wait for you, even if you don't know when?" Jinho was lost for words.
"When did I say you should wait for me? You can go on ahead."
"How are you gonna join us?" Jinho asked back.
"Oh, I don't know. Either way, I am not leaving now." She was being surprisingly immature.
Hearing the conversation, Hyun carefully expressed his opinion.
"Jinho, can't we leave just a little bit later? I want to stay here for a while too." Feeling helpless, Jinho looked at Daham.
"We can't force sailors who don't want to go." Daham added warmly, trying to calm Jinho. "Let's wait here for a little while."
~
The next day after they disputed leaving, it began to rain. The early summer drizzle quietly showered the whole island and quickly ceased in the afternoon to clear skies. The garden became greener with the rain and the flowers blossomed as if they themselves were having a party.
Juna has been cold to Jinho ever since yesterday. Pretending not to see Jinho out on the terrace, she put on short boots and walked to the garden.
"This is like a paradise." She said loudly, to further point out her desire to stay.
Looking out the window, Hyun, deep in thought, breathed a long sigh. He must have gone through all kinds of difficulties whilst sailing on the Mari. Jinho could not imagine how peaceful it would feel for him in this idyllic island. Seeing Hyun like this, he could not simply command that they all leave the island.
Revealed identity
Days had passed. They had such a pleasant experience, those past days. Eun had organised various events, which had occupied everyone, stopping them from getting bored. Before he realised, Jinho also started to actively participate in the events. He found that the football matches were especially exciting. He became so engrossed in the activities, that when his team narrowly lost in the finals he could not easily sleep feeling upset and disappointed.
Louie's feelings of superiority became more and more severe but nobody tried to stop him. Meanwhile, Juna's cheeks had become chubbier and Hyun became obsessed with playing games, like any mischievous boy.
"There are no clocks here." Jinho casually mentioned to Daham, whilst stretching his arms.
Quickly propping his body up from the chair, Daham gave the gardens a strange look, as if it were new.
"You know, I really have no clue how many days have passed." Jinho said in quite a serious voice,
"Daham, I've just realised, I am thinking less and less about how much we need to hurry."
"True. It is as if they are holding us captive, like in a prison, that's not a prison."
To his answer, Jinho instantly stiffened.
"A prison which is not a prison…" Daham's statement came to him as a shock. "How could I have not known so far?" Jinho let out a short moan.
In the garden outside the terrace, Juna and Hyun were wandering around on horseback. With time, they had improved their riding skill, and now they confidently rode the horses without hesitation. Their purely happy expressions could be seen in the distance.
"So, the castle itself is a prison."
Daham widened his eyes, realising further.
"Then, the captives must be here somewhere." Jinho tried to calm down after this revelation.
Once more composed, he said, in a suggestive manner:
"First of all, the key. The one Butler Eun gave to us."
He was reminded of the relic key. Having put it on the table in his room with the intention of returning it to Butler Eun, Jinho became too obsessed with island's enriching activities. He rushed to his room. Luckily, the key was still there. He opened the box and took out the key. Reminded of Daham's idea that the whole castle itself a prison, he ran towards the front gate of the castle.
The gate was still wide open as it was on the first day they had arrived. While trying nervously to fit the key into the lock, he sensed somebody moving swiftly nearby.
"Wait a moment, please."
Appearing from nowhere, the butler's voice sounded shrilly. While Jinho hesitated, frightened, Butler Eun threw something, which stuck coldly onto his face. It was so sudden that he did not have a chance to react. The cold, hard object thrown started to merge onto his face. Daham, having followed after him was holding his face, he too like Jinho had been struck with the same object.
Jinho could not help but be surprised when he saw Daham. It was a white clown mask. The same clown masks from the 'Show of the Night Emperors' were stuck to his face.
Although he shouted, the words did not come out properly. In addition, he could not properly move his body either. Somebody seemed to be in total control of Jinho. He struggled, trying to put the key into the hole, but involuntarily, his body walked towards Eun and bowed, relinquishing the key respectfully to him.
What on earth happened?
He felt a chill down his spine. Something very unusual had just happened.
"It isn't very interesting if you realise the secrets of the castle so quickly."
Butler Eun mocked him, putting the key back into the box. Jinho fought desperately to take the key back, his body turned around, defying his will.
"Since you finally found the prison you've been searching for, I should give you a present to congratulate you. What should I give to you? Perhaps the mask? My gift will teach you many good things about servitude. So don't worry and enjoy your time in prison. My dear, pretty dukes."
He continued, as Jinho and Daham were walking, under the spell of the masks:
"Right! About the masks. Don't put much effort to take it off. You will just waste your energy."
As Jinho and Daham obediently nodded their head, regardless of their own will, Eun followed them back to the castle with a satisfactory look.
The masks took the two to a small building behind the garden. The red brick building was a resting area for the performance clowns that they had earlier seen on the map. At that moment in time, the other people in the building were leisurely enjoying themselves. It was strange that they were wearing masks although the play was finished. However, they were simply taking a break, lying down or reading a book.
As Jinho came in opening the door, the other captives were taking a rest, as expected. Daham and Jinho sat around a group of clowns dressed like nobles. No one in the group showed interest in them or had questions. However, Jinho and Daham soon noticed that their eyes fell onto them. Eyes seemed to be the only part of body that they can move at their own will. Jinho met their eyes one by one. Their drained eyes were mostly bloodshot and powerless. Even though they were resting, they seemed very tired. Jinho searched for his father's eyes just to be sure, but there were only blue and green eyes and no dark brown ones.
Each day passed slowly. Three days in this prison now felt like several years. During these days, Jinho tried to call upon the Strong powers in vain. He became weak to the point of not even being able to move because of it, the mask's power over them was unforgiving.
Jinho's mask had a big smile. His mouth pulled to both sides along with the mask, he felt very uncomfortable; he was ironically forced to smile whilst he was actually deeply angry and in despair.
Jinho and Daham took on new roles in the 'Show of the Night Emperors.' The mask had Jinho demonstrate his new acrobatic skill of spinning plates, which made spectators shout with joy, including Juna and Hyun. Strangely, they did not seem to notice that Jinho and Daham had disappeared. Jinho tried in every way to let Hyun sense his presence but there was no real way that he could express himself.
How am I gonna do this?
So low on energy, he could not think of any better idea even if he tried hard. He wanted to consult with Daham but talking was prohibited by the mask. They just regrettably exchanged looks. There was no way of him knowing if Daham, meanwhile, had found Dora, the lost sailor.
Every night after the performance, all the clowns were exhausted. However, the cruel mask did not let them take any rest. They had to go travel to the town and perform the spectacle to the townspeople as well. The people tired from a day's hard labour seemed to restore themselves seeing the show. The most difficult of roles among the clowns was the king. Each time they performed he either was hit by sheep or had to fall over.
As early evening approached, the mask woke up Jinho's body, from the peaceful rest. In colourful clothing with big buttons and a cone-shaped hat, Jinho perfectly looked like a clown. Under the mask's control, he even acted like a clown, walking humorously with his shoulders bouncing up and down energetically.
"Ladies and gentlemen, tonight a special 'Show of the Night Emperors' begins at the usual time. Please show your appreciation with a round of applause."
Followed by Butler Eun's introduction, the stage curtain opened. This time, clowns dressed up as musicians in a band came forward on the stage first, blowing trumpets. Although nobody knew when and in which way to move, the masks moved their bodies, perfectly coordinating the clowns to their roles.
After clowns played the drums, Jinho came out, spinning the plates linked to the stick in his mouth and juggling golden plates. People greeted his performance with cheers. Whilst under the mask's control, Jinho quickly looked for Juna and Hyun among the spectators. They were sitting at the centre, tended to by servants.
Juna's dress was even more splendid this time and her crown hairpin was more ornate. Having gained weight whilst on the island, Louie was eating, whilst lazily lying on a long sofa. Hyun, looking quite the same as he always did, was happily watching the clowns with curiosity.
The story of the show always changed slightly but with a similar ending, where the tearful king ended up being comically in some trouble. That was always the most important part of the play where the spectator's attention was focused most.
In today's finale, the musical instruments crashed into the king because of sudden theatrical storms. The more the clowns tried to assist him, the more times the king was struck. In the end, the king was knocked down, and beaten up, he fainted.
A clown hurried to aid the fallen king, but he did not move, failing to regain consciousness. Although the servant tried to help him up many times, the king lay lifelessly on the floor. The performance paused as they couldn't carry on whilst the king was injured. Jinho had to stop spinning the plates and wait until the cast were given a signal to carry on.
Eun became embarrassed and the spectators started to whisper and gossip. It dawned upon Jinho that this was the right moment. It was a golden opportunity for escape. While Eun went up to the stage and checked on the injured king, Jinho came towards Hyun and Juna. They were not far away.
The mask was temporarily in a paused mode, but still exhibited strong control over him as Jinho moved away from the stage. His determination kept him going. A pain permeated his face whilst wearing the mask. He could bear the stabbing pain in his face but moving his frozen body was as hard as digging for your life if buried underground.
Barely able to move, he finally managed to stand in front of Juna and Hyun. He was bleeding from his brow and breathing hard. Juna did not show any particular reaction to him. Hyun, too, just watched him, glassy-eyed, assuming that he was trying to show another acrobatic skill.
It's me, Jinho!
No matter how hard he tried to shout, his lips did not move an inch. Jinho raised his arm with great difficulty to express himself, which made Hyun laugh, regarding it as comedic. By then, Daham had followed Jinho and was stood in front of Hyun. Covered with sweat and bleeding slightly, Daham bent over, panting from the fatigue. Then he raised his arm to hold the pose of him hoisting a sail aboard the Mari.
Looking at this, Hyun became confused. Hyun must have seen Daham working like this so many times, to the point it was embedded in his brain.
"No way!"
Hyun mumbled, with his eyes wide open. Then, coming to his senses he looked around for Daham and Jinho, but there was only Juna beside him, drinking tea gracefully.
"Where have Daham and Jinho gone?" Hyun asked the clown incredulously:
"Is that you, Daham?"
Daham with his smiling clown mask slowly nodded his head.
"Then, you are Jinho?"
He asked Jinho standing in front of Juna. Nodding his head as well, he realised that he did not have time to greet each other properly after all this time. Feeling relieved, Jinho pointed at Butler Eun who was attending to the stage.
Jinho addressed Hyun quickly with gestures, using all his remaining strength.
That ma
n did this to us! This place is a prison and he has the key. The gate of the castle is the door to the prison. Hurry!
He was not sure how much he could be understood, but to his actions, Hyun's face became strained. Hyun then scurried away out of the performance room.
As the masks regained full control, Daham returned towards the stage, strongly trying to resist. Jinho, feeling powerless, also walked to the stage and restarted spinning his plates, as the mask commanded.
The play began again. The king, who had been injured, had been taken backstage and Butler Eun went back to his seat to watch the show continue. Without the main character the play became less exciting. Eun seemed uncomfortable seeing the show, its story now directionless. Then Butler Eun cautiously spoke to Louie, who was lying on the sofa:
"I apologise. There was a problem in the show today." Frowning, Louie let out his complaint:
"This is a mess. Do it properly next time."
"I am sincerely sorry. From now on, I will make sure to serve you as the best king and not just as a duke. Next time, you will be satisfied."
