< forest

@◆ ⁞ jin sehyoon ⁽ˢᶦᵖʲᵉ⁾ [] IT'S Ok!!!!! my starters are usually long too so i understand. my reply /might/ be short (it also may be not) p. s. going to apologize for the fluctuating quality in my replies beforehand ><

dongil's curiosity of the unknown seldom precedes him -- but it is such that has him trekking behind his quarters. he has been anxious as of late, his mind plagued with being found out [by his father]. after all, the island is presumably not as enormous as the mainland, and the distance between kingdoms are now minute. the hierarchy, the labels, are now slowly blurred by the amount of people that has come to inhabit the land, as well -- and it only meant that dongil will have to hide further into the shell of his secret, even moreso than he had had back home. he wanted a break from all these thoughts, truthfully, and alongside such is the need to explore unfamiliar areas that are now surrounding him. hence, he finds himself following this path of rubble to a river of moderate size whose downstream flow traverses the ways between the saro and sipje hanoks*.

he is careful as he descends the steep uphill. thankfully, the trees provide him support for when he steps on a rock that is quite unstable, and thus, avoids falling unceremoniously unto his bottom. it did not take him long to find a clearing, one free from any thorny shrubbery that could induce itching episodes once he returns home. he settles his satchel unto a boulder and breathes in. at least, the rivers here do not seem far off from the ones they had back in saro. dongil, then, decidedly keeps his worries to write for later, taking off his shoes, and rolling up the hems of his baji** before he wades into the cold, shallow waters.

he has no idea how long the smile has lingered on his face at the sight of the fishes that thrive and swim about in the freshwater -- but he continues to walk around in awe, the newfound sense of freedom taking away his previous worries albeit momentarily. it is quite awhile before he finally decides to settle down by the riverbank, his feet still dipped into the wetness as he takes out a parchment and a piece of lead he's snuck from his father's room. the words won't be as visible but it will do for now. thus, dongil begins to write, and hopes none would disturh his peace.

* hanok = traditional houses
** baji = the uhh pants ig? sjjdnd

@◈ ⁞ go dongil ⁽ˢᵃʳᵒ⁾ [] so remember when i said in pms i usually do 2 paras max haha KJASKJASKJA i gOT CARRIED AWAY IM SORRY, pls feel free to cut down as much as you want, also my writing deteriorated by the end so orz im also sorry about the quality and any mistakes

sword practice and training was always something sehyoon had dreaded. it wasn't so much that he lacked the skills and capability to, rather he just found it so tedious and useless overall. what was the point of it anyway? the only purpose of it now was to be a reason for shipping him off to participate in the war. with a final quick glance in the mirror to fix his attire, sehyoon adjusted the strings keeping his hanbok together, clearly dressed down and in an outfit one would commonly find a kitchen staff in. "should be alright now," he chants to himself, head peeping out from the window of his dressing room. carefully holding the fabric of his hanbok, sehyoon began making his way out. movements controlled as he held onto the loose fabrics, hoping to not draw attention to his personnel waiting just beyond the doors outside.

once found in clear, he made bolt for it. dashing towards where he knew the fences were lower as he climbed over, (albeit with a small struggle) and entering the forest. upon reaching the forest's entrance, sehyoon made to quickly hide amongst the flora. standing silently as he listened for any following footsteps signalling that he's been spotted and tailed. "none that i'm aware of" he thought, finally feeling most of the tension leave his shoulders. it didn't matter how many times the prince had opted to skip out on his lessons, they were sure to be nervewrecking each time. especially when caught in the act by his mother, her royal consort.

with the most challenging part of his day gone, sehyoon could finally feel his mood lifting. his outlook on the day getting much brighter as he strolled through the forest, a light skip to each of his step. before long, the prince found himself down by the riverbank. walking upstream to clear his mind as he basked in the afternoon sunlight, all other sounds and thoughts drowned out by the current of the water. it was his usual remedy when it came to days like today. /only today was a bit different/. from what his ears could pick up, there was a disturbance in the stream. something which sounded resembled the splashing of footsteps just up ahead. as if it was on reflex, sehyoon made to quickly hide himself back within the trees and bushes. blending in with their shadows as he kept an alert eye out. there was no telling if these footsteps could've belonged to a wild beast, bandits or those from the palace.