🎶 Ahn Ye-eun - Moon Shadow

A flower that blooms quietly does not know its own scent. That child was like that.

I still cannot forget the day I first saw her. In all my life, she was the first person I met who possessed such clear light. I couldn't say a word. I just watched. Without even knowing that such a feeling would be named love.

"Seeing you visit so often..."

"It seems you are quite fond of sweets, My Lord."

A question asked as her fingertips brushed mine while handing over a cloth bundle with a shy smile. In the end, I could not answer easily.

I had no interest in sweets. Honey and taffy did not suit my palate, Nor did I enjoy confections.

I did not go to buy sweets; I went to see that child's smile. Just standing a short distance away.

Her face as she smiled while greeting customers. Her face as she laughed while joking with her father. Her face as she smiled while pressing an extra rice cake into a child's hand.

I did not approach. But just like that, if I could only keep that smile in my eyes for a long time, that was enough.

However, that was ultimately my arrogance. The whispers heard in the marketplace were stories I could not simply let pass.

"Did you hear?"

"They say the owner of the confectionery shop was scammed and fell into great debt."

"...I heard he was dragged to the magistrate's office at dawn today."

"They say the remaining daughter is being handed over to a gisaeng house."

"Tsk, tsk. How could a father feel, sending his own daughter to be a gisaeng?"

"She was such a tender and kind child..."

Gisaeng.

The moment that word pierced my ears.

Thud—

The fan I was holding fell powerlessly to the floor.

"...What did you just say?"

"The confectionery shop at the entrance of the marketplace. I heard the father fell into debt and is handing his daughter over to a gisaeng house—"

I had not misheard.

I still have words I haven't said to her. I haven't even been able to call her name properly. I haven't been able to look her in the eye properly.

I turned around immediately. The gisaeng house with ornate red lanterns hanging. The moment I stepped through that door, she was truly there. The face that always smiled like sunlight on water was now cast in deep shadow.

Kneeling on both knees. Eyes staring into the void like someone who had resigned to everything. On the face where a smile always came first, only faint traces of dried tears remained.

Looking at that sight, It felt as if somewhere in my chest was being crushed for the first time.

It was a truly strange thing.

To that child, I must have been nothing more than a customer who bought sweets.

Even though I never dared to approach first and confess my heart, And never once looked her in the eye to convey my love, I could not let that child be sold as a gisaeng.

"...I will take that child."

The words left my mouth quickly. Without even a moment to deliberate. But the madam spoke with a sneer.

"How is the news so fast?"

"We will have her dressed and ready to serve your drinks soon, so if you give us a little time—"

I cut her off sharply.

"You said there is a debt the father owes. How much will it take?"

The madam looked at me for a moment, then sneered.

"Is My Lord truly going to trouble himself so much over just this one young girl?"

Just this young girl. She was right. However.

"She is the person I am to marry."

The moment I uttered those words, I could not bring myself to look at the child's face. I was afraid. Afraid that my words might have become another wound.

The wedding was quiet. There was no music. No blessings. The child never lifted her head. She must have been terrified. Even if she came to a Yangban house instead of a gisaeng house, she likely felt that being sold was no different in the end.

The first night.

The room was silent. Only the candle flickered quietly. In a corner of the room, a small back dressed in red wedding robes was trembling slightly. Her appearance, adorned with red bridal spots and an ornate jokduri, was truly beautiful.

However, it was the saddest she had ever looked in all the moments I had seen her. Her fingertips were turned white, clutching her dress ties tightly.

"Do not be troubled."

"...I have no intention of forcing myself upon you."

A moment of silence passed.

"Once this night passes,"

"Live your own life."

"That is the reason I brought you here."

Only then did those clear eyes hold me for the first time. It was the first time I conveyed my true heart. And perhaps.

"If you wish, I will even sever our marital ties."

"I will also provide a way for you to live a new life."

It was the last romantic sentiment a man could harbor.

"So, do not be afraid."

A person's heart is not something to be gained by force. The people of the world will simply say I am a man who bought a young wife with money.

However, what I sought was the smile of the woman I loved for the first and last time. If that smile blooms again one day... when that day comes... only then will I consider this marriage a truly good thing.