They said the moon only watched.....
It did not interfere
It did not choose
It did not love
For a thousand years the kingdom of Eunwol prospered beneath its silver light, unaware that destiny was not written in ink — but in blood, betrayal, and sacrifice.
Hae Rin, a young lady in her early twenties, an apprentice in the moon temple chased a runaway chicken through the courtyard of the moon temple.
Stop running! I am not dying because of poultry! She yelled nearly tripping over her own robes.
From the steps above, Ji-Ah laughed loudly. " If the moon goodness sees you like this, she might return you"
Return her where? Soo-Yeon asked innocently from behind.
"To whatever mistake created her". Ji-Ah replied.
Hae Rin straightened up, put her hands on her hips and turned to Ji-Ah.You talk too much for someone who can't even light a candle without setting her sleeves on fire.
Ji-Ah gasped. "That happened once."
"Twice," Min-Ho corrected calmly from the training yard.
"It was windy!" Ji-Ah snapped.
"It was indoors," Joon-Seok added helpfully.
Soo-Yeon blinked. "Maybe the candle attacked first?"
Hae Rin burst into laughter, the sound light and warm in the cool night air.
For a moment, everything felt normal.
Too normal.
Because somewhere in the fabric of fate, something had already torn once before.
"Hae Rin."
Master Han's voice cut through the laughter.
She turned.
His expression had shifted — not stern, not angry — but searching.
"You laugh easily," he said quietly.
"Is that a crime?"
"No," he replied. "It is a blessing."
Ji-Ah stood and dusted off her robes. "If this is another lecture about discipline, I have alot to do in the kitchen.
"You will stay," Master Han said without raising his voice.
And she stayed.
The air changed.
Even the crickets seemed to hush.
"Hae Rin," Master Han continued, "what do you remember about your mother?"
The question startled her.
"She liked jasmine tea," Hae Rin answered slowly. "She sang when she thought no one was listening. And… she told me never to remove the jade."
Ji-Ah crossed her arms. "That old thing?"
The jade pulsed faintly.
Hae Rin pressed her fingers over it instinctively.
"It's not just old," Master Han said. "It is ancient."
"How ancient?" Soo-Yeon whispered.
"Older than this kingdom."
Silence fell.
Joon-Seok leaned toward Min-Ho. "So… if it's older than the kingdom, does that mean it owes taxes?"
Min-Ho elbowed him.
Hae Rin tried not to smile, but her chest felt tight.
"Master," she said carefully, "why are you telling me this now?"
He looked up as if looking at the moon.
"Because I can feel that the moon is restless. He looked at Hae Rin.
Hae Rin wondered what that has got to do with her or her mother's jade.
I'm hungry, master Han said as if dismissing them, Ji- Ah was the first to leave.
" Finally " she murmured.
In the pale glow of the night,Hae Rin sat alone at the temple entrance, she recall her life, she had died once, a death of betrayal from the one she love the most, when her mother died while trying to save her, broken, the only thing that kept her going was the jade.the first time that Hae Rin had died no one noticed
The sky did not open
The earth did not tremble and the kingdom did not pause.
Her father was her worse betrayal, she sometimes wished she never had one, all she had was a father who would have sold her future for another drink. He gambles even on his wife feneral, she wondered what would have happened if master han hasn't rescued her from those men her father intended to sell her for. She looked at the moon and tried to understand what master han had said previously.
She could hear footsteps approaching, she raised her hand creating a spiritual arrow and ready to attack before noticing that it was Min -Ho.
What are you doing here this late in the night? She asked releasing her hand, as the arrow disappear.
Are you thinking about the chicken, or is it Ji-Ah? Min- Ho asked sitting close to her.
No. She responded staring away.
Then what will make a pretty girl stay up? He asked trying to catch her gaze.
My mother! I can barely remember her face, I can't believe she was married to my father, "she was too noble for him".