HWARANG Rewritten✅

20. Hunting

Chapter 20.
Hunting.

Everyone had gathered in the classroom. The Princess entered with Bu-jae and the guard but there was no Poong Wol Joo and this raised a few unsure whispers as they all lined up, awaiting further instructions.

"Ten days from now, there will be a sparring among the members of the Hwarang. This time Princess Sook-myeong will personally be supervising the sparring. Only the Hwarang who wins in sparring and goongmal will pass," Bu-jae informed the Hwarangs.

"Sparring?" Soo-ho uttered disbelievingly. It sounded a bit too easy.

Ban-ryu followed with a more surprised, "the Princess is doing what?"

"She hasn't changed a bit," Ji-dwi mused with a barely-there smile, earning himself a pinch. He glanced at Sa-do as he rubbed his arm.

"Just shut up," she hissed quietly, not knowing how he could be so forgetful of his surroundings and say something like that. Did he have no sense of self preservation?

Bu-jae went on, "this is different from the previous assignments. In this sparring, you can lose your life. You must fight with your life on the line. If you are afraid of death, you cannot protect your subordinates. Keep that in mind."

This caused an uproar. A fight to death. Is that what Princess Sook-myeong wanted from them? But would they be able to satisfy her? Killing an enemy on a battlefield was one thing. But killing a Hwarang? A Hwarang who they had been living with, eating with, training with, learning with and working with? Would any of them be able to deliver a lethal blow on each other? Just to satisfy the royal family? Just to get a pass?

The more time that passed, the clearer it became to each and every one of them. No. They would not kill each other. They couldn't and they wouldn't. And considering Poong Wol Joo's absence, he was not very supportive of their new task either.

...

They had been told to gather in the courtyard in their formal uniforms. Again, Poong Wol Joo was missing and there were only the Princess, Bu-jae and the guard. "Right now we will split in groups and train to hunt. You know that the most effective way to master goongmal is through hunting. You can catch a rabbit or a bird, like a pheasant. The person who catches a deer first is the winner," Bu-jae announced.

"I think I know where the Princess' heart lies," Yeo-wool claimed with a knowing smirk.

Sa-do looked up at Princess Sook-myeong to find her staring at Seon-woo who was looking down, oblivious to her gaze. She bit her lip. The princess won't come between Ah-ro and her hyung, would she? They split into teams. Seon-woo, Ji-dwi, Soo-ho and Ban-ryu were one team and Sa-do, Yeo-wool and Han-seong were another. They all headed to the forest behind Seonmoon.

A little while into the hunt, Ji-dwi saw a deer and pulled out an arrow and took a shot. Before his arrow could hit the deer however, another arrow flew in, snapping his in half. He looked up angrily to find who dared to take his prey.