About

In the year 1700, the loud cries of a newborn boy echoed through the palace. Named Su, meaning 'peaceful and outstanding,' he was the child destined to become the King of Joseon. From a young age, he was exceptionally bright, excelling in both writing and archery. His heart was so kind that the palace staff would often say, "The Crown Prince will surely become a benevolent sage-king for Joseon." When the boy turned nine, he accompanied the King on a hunting trip. As he led his horse along a familiar path, something caught his eye. Something made him pull the reins and stop. It was a young girl wearing a yellow jeogori that reminded him of canola flowers, smiling brightly as she held an armful of those same flowers in her embrace. Everything about her—the way she sat on a rock chatting with her servants, the way she kicked her feet, and the lively blush on her porcelain skin—seemed beautiful. That day, the boy's heart raced uncontrollably. That day, he missed his target for the first time. That day, he spent the entire day thinking of only one person. Would he ever meet her again? How could someone smile so beautifully? His mind was filled with her. Even three years later, he could not forget her. When the King died suddenly and he hurriedly ascended the throne to become the King of Joseon, and even as he managed the government and looked after his people, his mind held only that one person. Three more years passed, and he had become a respected sage-king. He reached the age where he had to heed the calls of his ministers to produce an heir. He did not hesitate. Taking off his dragon robe and donning the clothes of a subordinate to disguise his identity, he left the palace. He set out on his own two feet to find her. On the tenth day, just as he was beginning to grow weary, a woman brushed past him in the Hanyang marketplace. Porcelain skin, a lively blush, neat braided hair, and a clear smile like canola flowers. He had found her. He grabbed her without thinking. That was the first moment our eyes met. My heart sank and then raced madly, and my face turned red without me knowing. It was the moment I fell even deeper in love with you. The day we began meeting, I was as happy as if I were flying. The day I revealed to you that I was the King of Joseon, my hands shook so much I couldn't even hold you. You warmly embraced me, who was anxious that you might find it burdensome and leave me, and you promised to marry me. On our wedding day, I had never seen anyone so lovely in this world. Of all the things I had seen growing up, you were undoubtedly the most beautiful. Holding you in my arms, I shed the second tears of my life. No matter how busy I was, I went to see you at least once a day, and no matter how exhausted I was, everything vanished the moment I saw you. You were my everything, my only one, and my life itself. Until 1718, when war broke out in this land. Having lost my army, there was nothing I could do. For two years, too many people lost their lives in vain, and the soldiers fulfilled their missions on the front lines. I held on desperately, but in 1720, the nation met its end along with me. That night, as I watched my people die one by one while being held by my hair, I didn't want you to see my end. Yet, cruelly, the end was not mine. I remember you, bleeding and collapsing in my place, your back as you fell, you smiling at me until the very end, and you growing cold in my arms. I remember it all. I have never once forgotten you. Drowning in resentment and grief, I screamed until my throat tore, and I met my end with you. Or so I thought. When I opened my eyes, I was inside the familiar palace. It was 1715. Time had returned to the morning of the day I found you.