"Prince Young-Sik one of the tests of a true leader is how we treat our servants. Your Highness, I suggest that we seek a compromise with the young prince" The King turned towards the crowned prince eager to hear the rest of his idea "Prince Young-Sik, this will be your test, if you don't need a legion of servants fine, we will grant your request. However, grant this request from your family, that we appoint one court maiden to at least look after your basic daily needs while you do your duties. I think that is fair enough"
The crowd whispered at how diplomatically eloquent the crowned prince was. Young-Sik blew out air and relented to his family's request "Fine" he said weakly "Who do you have in mind?"
The King turned to the Queen and the crowned prince, before looking back at Young-Sik and all three of them said at the same time "Her!" they all pointed at Jin-Ri
Jin-Ri's jaw hit the floor when she caught wind of the King's statement. "Me? Seriously, me?" she questioned herself on repeat. "Oh great, is he going to make me walk the plank for giving him a whack on the head...or worse, make me walk the plank and then force me to watch his goldfish eat me?!"
"Her? No! No way! I want a re-vote!" Young-Sik protested, but the King dismissed his concerns
"The choice has been made young prince" The King then turned to Jin-Ri "What is your name?" The King asked the chosen court maiden
Jin-Ri immediately dropped to her knees and bowed "Hong Jin-Ri is my name Your Highness" she said answering the King's question.
"Stand up let us take a look at you" the King ordered
"This girl is shameless," Young-Sik thought to himself
Jin-Ri quickly stood up as the King ordered her. She could feel that everyone was scrutinizing her, observing her like they were trying to find some hidden flaw that even she did not know of.
"She looks healthy enough" The King stated, before looking over to the Queen "What do you think Your Majesty?"
Queen Eri fell silent for a moment "She's a tad skinny, and she doesn't strike me as the sharpest tool in the shed nor is she the prettiest. But I suppose sitting around waiting for the prince won't be too taxing for her."
Jin-Ri would have let out a snort at the Queen's words if she could, but she settled for giving her a sly smile and thinking "I may not have brains, but I've got the charms, you ancient nitwit."
The Queen asked for the crowned prince's opinion of the court maiden "Prince Man-Ju…what do you think about Prince Young-Sik's court maiden?"
Man-Ju stroked his chin before revealing his observation "I hope you can run fast, your new Prince likes to run around and about, you must never let him out of your sight" He chuckled a bit, before turning to one of the eunuchs "Check her papers"
One of the eunuchs approached Jin-Ri and asked for her identification plaque and papers. She gave them to the eunuch and examined them. He returned the items to Jin-Ri and nodded to the King.
"Very well, Hong Jin-Ri, I assign you to be Prince Young-Sik's personal court maiden. You must always follow his orders and accompany him wherever he goes. You must put the prince's well-being above all else and serve him diligently" The King commanded, before standing up and leaving the courtroom
Prince Man-Ju also stood up and followed the King, but not before giving Young-Sik a chin jut, to which Young-Sik did the same.
Everyone in the courtroom bowed to the royal family as they left the courtroom. The Eunuchs directed the other court maidens outside. Young-Sik scratched his head, sneaked up to Jin-Ri, and said, "Come on you shameless cat...I've got a surprise waiting for you...we're going to have a blast!"
With Jin-Ri's face all scrunched up and her back hunched over, she reluctantly trailed behind him, absolutely convinced she was heading towards her demise.
Jin-Ri trudged along behind the prince, feeling like her feet were made of solid lead. Without realizing it, she bumped into the prince when he suddenly stopped in a deserted part of the palace grounds.
The prince turned to face her, and Jin-Ri anxiously played with her fingers, not knowing what to expect. Just as the prince was about to speak, Jin-Ri dramatically dropped to her knees and pleaded, "Your Highness, I'm so sorry for whacking you on the head with a pot...I know I deserve to be punished, but please don't torture me, I can't handle pain!"
"And you think I did, you are quite shameless did you know that? Do you know how painful it was to be whacked by clay pot on the head not once but twice?" Jin-Ri nervously shook her head in response to the prince's question "You and I did not want any of this, but we are going to work things out now. This is what's going to happen, you are going to cover for me whenever I go out and you will never accompany me anywhere, I go. Do you understand?"
Jin-Ri was sweating bullets, lifted her head "But Your Highness the King specifically said to never leave your side! What do I do if they start questioning me?" Jin-Ri frantically asked, hoping he would give her some clear instructions "Besides the fact, I really don't like you" she thought to herself
Young-Sik nonchalantly replied, "Not my problem. I'm not the one who's gonna end up in trouble. Think on your feet, come up with something...I mean, you did outsmart me twice already!"
"But Your Highness…I'll be punished possibly executed, if I let you go out alone" she reasoned to the prince "You bet I'm smarter than you!" she again told herself
"Then pray hard, that no one finds out" Was Young-Sik's only reply to Jin-Ri's pleas. He turned around and left the bewildered court maiden.
"What an irritating little goblin!" Jin-Ri was so annoyed by the prince's demeanor that she couldn't help but pull funny faces. She cheekily stuck her tongue out at him.
"I see that tongue, so tuck it away before I decide to cut it off!" Prince Young-Sik said suddenly, catching Jin-Ri off guard.
"How does he even know? Does he have eyes in the back of his head?" she thought to herself, as she tried to look for hidden eyes on the back of the prince's head.
"Indeed, I do! Plus, my hearing is exceptional," Young-Sik said, turning around. "Are you going to just stand there or what?"
"Yes, Your Highness…just lead the way" Jin-Ri sarcastically replied to the prince, matched with a fake smile.
Young-Sik let out a light scoff at the demeanor of his court lady. "And just so you know, I can read minds too! I can tell you're feeling all smug because you managed to slam me with that clay pot. The only reason you caught me off guard was that I knew dodging would mean you'd hit the child instead," he explained, a grin spreading across his face as he watched Jin-Ri's confusion before moving on.
Confused, Jin-Ri scratched her head, reluctantly trailing after the prince. Her soft complaints and playful grumbles filled the air as they headed to his grand residence.
On day one, Jin-Ri was patiently waiting outside Prince Young-Sik's room, her head bowed at all times as protocol demands "My back is killing me, where is that goblin? It's already midday and he still hasn't got out of bed"
Unexpectedly Jin-Ri heard her master's voice, but it came not from the room but behind her. She swiftly turned around to see the prince entering his residence. "Your Highness? Where did you come from? Did you sneak out again?"
Young-Sik smirked, "While you were snoring like a bear, I was already up and tended to my morning duties"
As he entered his room, he turned to the surprised and annoyed Jin-Ri. "Oh, and just so you know, the bathroom and chamber pots could use a good scrub," he added with a sly grin.
"Pardon?" Jin-Ri responded, her tone dripping with disgust.
"I said they need a thorough cleaning," the prince clarified, but just before shutting the door, he added one last note, "And make sure to do it by hand… those brushes can't get the job done."
She was about to protest but Young-Sik quickly closed the door on her face. Looking at her hands, she made her way to the royal lavatory. "By hand? Why does it have to be by hand?"
Once inside, Jin-Ri's skin prickled with goosebumps as she confronted the task of cleaning the chamber pot.
With a delicate grip, she hoisted the shimmering golden pot, only to be struck by a wave of realization. "Oh no… it's packed with something!" she exclaimed, her voice a rollercoaster of emotions. The foul odor wafting from it was enough to turn her stomach upside down. Just as she felt the bile rising, the unimaginable occurred—the lid popped off, unveiling the revolting surprise hidden within.
With an ear-curdling scream, Jin-Ri recoiled in horror at the sight of the vile things lurking too close for comfort. Her arms shot out desperately to distance herself from the offending items, her head twisting in a comical display of revulsion. She sprinted from the lavatory, bursting out of the prince's residence and into the expansive palace grounds. The moment the foul stench hit the air, people scattered as if she were a walking catastrophe.
Crowned Prince Man-Ju was enjoying a leisurely walk when he spotted the wildly flailing Jin-Ri. "Wait a minute, isn't that Prince Young-Sik's court maiden?" he mused aloud.
A nearby eunuch chimed in, "Yes, Your Highness."
Man-Ju leaned in, intrigued. "What's got her running around like a squirrel on caffeine? And what's that she's got in her hands?"
"It appears to be a chamber pot, Your Highness!" The eunuch squinted and gasped, "Uh-oh, she's coming this way!" The prince, in a moment of terror, saw Jin-Ri running towards him with a chamber pot and tried to scale a wall like a startled cat. His entourage went into full-on panic mode, with eunuchs and court ladies forming a human barricade to redirect Jin-Ri away from the prince's imminent doom.
Jin-Ri came to a stop a few meters from the prince, and the odor was so foul it could make a skunk faint! The view inside the chamber pot was enough to make even the strongest stomachs turn. "Get rid of it! Get rid of it!"everyone hollered at the court maiden. Just when Jin-Ri, looking like she was about to lose her breakfast, was ready to fling it away, the eunuchs and court ladies yelled, "Not here!"
"Where?" Jin-Ri hollered back, sounding like a confused puppy.
"The public restrooms… at the back of the royal grounds!" they all yelled in unison as if they were announcing the latest royal decree.
Jin-Ri took off like a squirrel on espresso, sprinting toward the direction they were pointing.
Meanwhile, Prince Man-Ju came down from the wall he tried to scale, to get away from the revolting thing, the court maiden has. Once Jin-Ri was out of sight, adjusting his royal robes. He turned to his eunuch and asked, "So, where are we headed again?"
The eunuch, still recovering from the olfactory assault, replied, "To Prince Young-Sik's residence, Your Highness."
"You know what? Let's save that for another day," Prince Man-Ju said, pivoting quickly and heading back to his palace, his entourage trailing behind like a bunch of confused ducklings.
Day two arrived, and Jin-Ri was once again waiting outside Young-Sik's room. This time, she was already awake before the rooster crowed. Young-Sik was startled when he opened the door and saw Jin-Ri outside waiting for him "Good morning Your Highness!" she greeted him
"Oh my goodness…you scared me!" Young-Sik blurted out, earning a winced reaction from the court maiden "Since you're here, I need you to wash all my clothes. They must be ready by tomorrow!" Young-Sik chuckled at his court maiden.
"Tomorrow?!" Jin-Ri gasped, her eyes widening as she surveyed the Everest of laundry in the room. "Your Highness, that mountain of clothes is so big it should come with a warning sign!"
"I know and the sign is…hand wash only and don't help her" Young-Sik laughed as he exited his residence to start his morning practice.
"How am I supposed to tackle this laundry beast by tomorrow?" Jin-Ri whined, trudging into the prince's room like a laundry warrior on a quest.
On day three, Jin-Ri waltzed into the prince's chamber dinner tray in hand. "Your meal, Your Highness!" she announced, placing the feast on Young-Sik's table with the grace of a cat on a hot tin roof.
Young-Sik peered at the spread and declared, "Replace it, it's greasier than a pig in a mud bath!"
Jin-Ri, appearing flustered, said, "Sorry, Your Highness, I'll ask for something less slippery!" Off she went, tray in tow.
A while later, she returned with a fresh platter. The moment the prince took a bite, he gagged like he'd just swallowed a live fish. "Too salty! Take it back!" he bellowed.
Every time Jin-Ri delivered a fresh batch of meals to Young-Sik, it was like opening a can of complaints! "Too spicy!" Young-Sik exclaimed, and Jin-Ri slapped her forehead as if she'd just discovered a new level of frustration.
"Too bland!" Young-Sik noted, making Jin-Ri's face scrunch up like she just bit into a lemon.
"Too hot!" Young-Sik complained, and Jin-Ri, in a valiant effort to defuse the situation, blew on the food as if it were a hot potato.
But Young-Sik grimaced and said, "Ewww, I don't want that anymore… just get me a new set!" Jin-Ri pouted like a little child who was about to cry.