seen from United States
seen from China
seen from Sweden
seen from Bangladesh
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Yemen
seen from Italy
seen from Yemen
seen from United States
seen from Poland
seen from Türkiye
seen from Poland
seen from United States
seen from Yemen
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Australia
seen from Argentina
seen from Türkiye
. . . ━━━ NOW INTRODUCING HER ROYAL HIGHNESS, YI DAEUN ━━━ . . .
・ ・ ・ ・ FROM THE NOBLE HOUSE OF YI, she’s the youngest daughter born to her highness, QUEEN MUNJEONG. will she be a player or a pawn in this game of lies?
( ONLY TIME WILL TELL. )
“ WELL SOMETIMES, EVERYTHING DOESN’T GO YOUR WAY. SO THE ONLY THING YOU CAN DO IS SUCK IT UP AND GET OVER IT.
UNMARRIED
PRINCESS OF JOSEON
16 YEARS OLD
━ CREATIVE ・ SECRETIVE ・ SWEET ・ CURIOUS
Silent cries was finally heard across the royal manor after a tough warm night, wet nurses cleaning up the newborn baby girl carefully as the mother took a quick rest before finally holding her newborn daughter. “Yi Daeun….Your name will be Yi Daeun.” Queen Munjeong finally decided watching her young daughter sleep in her arms as the king finally entered the room and looked down at his newborn daughter with a smile.
—–
Weeks turned into months and months turned into years, who would’ve thought she would actually survived all of these years. Since she was little the young princess was always sickly even the royal doctor said she wouldn’t even make it past her 5th birthday and if she did Daeun would have to be take medicine and herbs due to her weak immune system. Princess Daeun didn’t actually had a good childhood due to her weak body and would mostly be kept in her room while all of her sibling was always outside playing around, her parents would always get her stuff to play with in her room but to her that wasn’t enough at all. Sure she would go outside every once in awhile if the queen would allow her of course, but that would be a rare case if she did allow it so she would mostly play with some of her maids in her room. Everything she did from eating, playing and even had her schooling was always in her room, she always grew up lonely and by herself.
—–
Over the years though she was still sickly, Daeun was slowly getting used to being in her room at all times, giving different types of medicine but at the same time she was slowly getting tired of it. Sure her parents would gift her many things due to the fact that she couldn’t get out of her room as much but at the same time she didn’t want all of that, the only thing she wanted was somebody to talk to or at least a friend. During her past times she would most likely be in her room painting her reading something that her mother taught her to do whenever she used to come very her youngest daughter.
—–
Now 16 Years Old, Princess Daeun looked out of her window. Oh how bored she was, she hated how she was born sickly her parents could gift her everything that she wanted but that wasn’t enough for her. She wanted to leave behind the royal gate and see what the other side is it, Daeun doesn’t find it fair at all how all of her siblings could go out with the guards but she can’t, they don’t understand how lonely the younger one was and keeping her up in her room for long periods of times didn’t help her at all. After many years of begging they finally let her leave out of her room to explore the royal manor, oh how happy she was. Her mother finally allowing her but how long will it last?
. . . ━━━ NOW INTRODUCING THE YOUNG LADY NAM SUMI ━━━ . . .
・ ・ ・ ・ FROM THE NOBLE HOUSE OF NAM, she’s the youngest daughter born to RIGHT MINISTER NAM. will she be a player or a pawn in this game of lies?
( ONLY TIME WILL TELL. )
“ HAVING A KIND HEART IN A CRUEL WORLD IS KINDNESS, NOT WEAKNESS.
UNMARRIED
UNEMPLOYED
20 YEARS OLD
━ GENTLE ・ GUARDED ・ REFINED ・ SOFT SPOKEN
하나 – birth
It was the beginning of spring when Sumi was born; a seemingly auspicious start, but yet so disappointing to her parents at the same time. When her father learned that his wife had given birth to another daughter, he left the corridor outside her chamber and returned to the unfinished cup of tea waiting in his study. The daughter in question was quickly given to the nursemaid to be taken care of, and the mother scarcely asked after her child for the next fortnight. There was no fanfare, no great demonstration of welcome for the newly born girl. She was given a name, Sumi, and left alone. The pattern would continue throughout the rest of her life — left on the sidelines, never quite enough.
두 – early childhood
After a few years, her brother was born. The contrast between the two events was striking, though unsurprising. Now, there were two children for their parents to dote upon who could actually further the family’s status. An older sister could marry well and display the Nam heritage and breeding, while a son would carry on the family name and continue to grow their influence. Sumi was just the middle child — not anyone’s first choice, unable to measure up to the exacting standards placed on her alone.
Her paternal grandmother, seeing the situation, offered to take the girl under her wing and personally raise Sumi in her section of the house. She would still see her parents every day, if only for the morning greetings. And, as was only natural, she would be taught with her siblings and have plenty of time to play and spend time with them. But the rest of the time, she would be spending with her grandmother. Her parents agreed with almost unseemly haste.
Some might see this as a form of neglect on the part of her parent’s, just a way to get rid of unnecessary work. But Sumi, once she was old enough to understand, never took it as such. Her first few years of life were filled with love at her grandmother’s side, and more approval from her parents than she would have been given had she been subject to constant comparison with her siblings. The situation was beneficial for everyone involved; her grandmother had someone to dote upon in her old age, her parents could focus more of their energy on the other children while still caring for her, and the siblings were still allowed to grow up together. Sumi was content to do her utmost to be a good daughter and supporting member of their family.
세 – youth
In addition to the teachings she received with her siblings, her grandmother did everything she could to prepare her granddaughter for what her life would hold. From a young age, Sumi was trained to be a perfect lady and, eventually, the ideal future wife. She learned how to easily make an ideal cup of tea, her embroidery was flawless by the age of twelve, and her behavior could never be considered anything less than virtuous. Furthermore, her grandmother made sure that she was taught to understand how a household was run: everything from reading the accounting books to managing the servants was included in her studies.
Perhaps most educational was the time Sumi spent watching her grandmother preside over the family, doing so more subtly yet decisively than seemed possible. Despite having been widowed several years ago, she still wielded a great amount of power, and her grandmother instructed her granddaughter in these techniques to the utmost of her ability. Sumi watched and learned how to notice seemly insignificant details and how to predict what their impact might be, as well as to prepare for these eventualities.
And yet, despite her best efforts, her parents still favored her siblings. Though it was more obvious on some occasions than others, she was still the last chosen, the odd one out among their happy family. Even among the friend circle the two Nam sisters spent their time with, her sister was always the preferred companion. Despite this, she did not allow herself to become despondent. Above all else, Sumi was determined to be kind. She poured all the love she did not receive out onto those she was close with to make sure that they would not have the same experience. And as she matured, a type of quiet wisdom began to develop. She understood far more than others might suspect, but kept kept her true thoughts to herself, unwilling to give anyone the full picture. Not a word was said without careful consideration, both to how it would be received and how it would affect those she was speaking with. There were girls who wanted more, chafing at the constraints of womanhood, but it never bothered her. Sumi was happy to be a quiet presence in the background, content to listen and observe her surroundings.
네 – beginnings of adulthood
Once she turned twenty years of age, Sumi knew what would soon be required of her; the time was coming for marriage to be considered. She accepted it without complaint, as she always had. Although she knew that she would have no say in the match, she was still hopeful that the outcome would be, at least, an amiable relationship. Perhaps, if she was lucky, he would be someone with whom she could be honest with, who she could unabashedly be herself in front of. That was her greatest wish — someone who would choose her, and love her for just being herself. But these were thoughts that she kept to herself, and if that wish would be fulfilled remained to be seen.
… ━━━ NOW INTRODUCING THE YOUNG LORD KIMURA KIYOMITSU ━━━ …
・ ・ ・ ・ FROM THE NOBLE HOUSE OF KIMURA, he’s the eldest son born to DEPUTY KIMURA. will he be a player or a pawn in this game of lies?
( ONLY TIME WILL TELL. )
“ IF YOU WISH TO CONTROL OTHERS, YOU MUST FIRST CONTROL YOURSELF.
UNMARRIED
UNEMPLOYED
24 YEARS OLD
━ SOFT SPOKEN ・ STUBBORN ・ INTELLIGENT ・ VAIN
Kimura Kiyomitsu, originally given the childhood name of Kichihoshi and known to those close to him as Kyonosuke, was born to an upperclass Japanese family in Kyoto, Japan. He was the first born son and heir to the Kimura family. Like most boys in his position, he was raised strictly with great expectations placed upon him.
When his family was transplanted to Korea, Kiyomitsu was, to put it simply, displeased. Why did he, a well born and noble Japanese son, need to go to a place where his family name meant far less? He had to learn a new language and study a new culture, all so that he could understand his father’s position. He was a stubborn boy, often bumping heads with other children his age. As a child in a new country, he was loud and made his opinions heard, often stomping around like someone of important, with an entitled attitude.
There was relief as he grew older, though. He began to mature quickly and his stubbornness and anger towards his move seemed to ebb away as he settled into his new position. He became someone who offered level headed and simple advice, and who often aided others in need of a calm mind. Most people who didn’t know him as a child only knew him by his gentle and softspoken nature. Increasingly, he became better with women and children as well, his empathetic nature easily making him someone they felt comfortable around, though his new mindset was much to his father’s displeasure.
He took to more elegant hobbies, some of which his family saw as too feminine for him. He loved to learn new instruments, whether Japanese or Korean. He also loved tea ceremonies, theatre, ikebana, and writing poetry. Back in Japan, where wars were ongoing and the country was becoming more and more broken apart and fine arts were underappreciated while most focused on the fighting, Kiyomitsu found a love for arts and music in Korea.
Kiyomitsu is a well mannered and polite Japanese male, the oldest son born to deputy Kimura. Due to his position as the eldest son, he is often seen shadowing his father or learning his practices. This also makes him in line to be the heir to his family’s titles and estates. Though spending a good portion of his life with his family in a foreign country, Kiyomitsu keeps in touch with his roots and is extremely devoted to his own culture, consistently stating that he will return to his home one day. His body language and demeanor is often described as gentle and subtle, his voice falling somewhere between high and low but always being soft and level. Rarely is he heard raising his voice. His father has often scolded him for having a tint of weakness in his speaking voice at times, and for being too prone to showing his emotions. He’s also known for being somewhat of an unmarried player, enjoying the company of woman more than men, typically older women, causing his father much stress.
… ━━━ NOW INTRODUCING THE YOUNG LADY BAE NARI ━━━ …
・ ・ ・ ・ FROM THE NOBLE HOUSE OF BAE, she’s the eldest daughter born to the LATE MINISTER OF DEFENCE. will she be a player or a pawn in this game of lies?
( ONLY TIME WILL TELL. )
“ SHE HAD THIS WAY OF ALWAYS FINDING THE GOOD AND BELIEVING IN EVERYTHING DESPITE ALL SHE HAD SEEN.
UNMARRIED
UNEMPLOYED
22 YEARS OLD
━ SOFTHEARTED ・ FOOLISH ・ TENDER ・ NAIVE
The Bae’s were blessed, fulfilling all their dreams and expectations when their first born was born, a healthy boy who would carry the name of the family high. The Bae family was happy. A couple of years later, the lord dreamt about a flower, a soft and beautiful garden filled with Lilies, a strange dream for a hard man like himself but it made sense when his wife delivered the news of being pregnant of his second child.
A little baby was born, and she was a soft one, in her skin, in her features, even in her cries that could barely be heard by the father who was holding her oh so carefully, as if she would break from the mere contact, she was so delicate, so beautiful, so different from having a boy, true the boy had made his heart sore with pride since he had a strong stallion as his son to take his place one day but seeing his baby, seeing his daughter made his heart soft. The Minister was a strong man, just like his brother but in that moment, he had looked into the eyes of his greatest weakness, even if he was hard on her while growing up, he was always sure to show her his love by small details that wouldn’t be seen unless you paid close attention. The little girl was named after the premonition dream, Bae Nari, it was gentle on the tongue and rolled out effortlessly like her beauty.
The girl grew to be just like the flower she was named after, softhearted and tender, a candle who could light up the darkest moments with her innocence, with her loving heart that was both her weakness and her weapon as her mother used to say every time the girl found herself crying while patting her head adoringly. Even as a kid the girl was known in the household for her tender ways, everyone thought that the girl was different and not in a bad way, for her eyes didn’t see the cruelty or the reality that was in front of her, no, her eyes saw what things could be, what people have the potential to be, foolish, she knew, but she was willing to be the one to believe it even if it ended in heartache. That was why the young girl, the ‘little lady’ of the Bae house was so welcoming to the new sibling, while her mother held a grudge against the woman and the baby, Nari welcomed her.
A soft heart was a curse and a blessing, people would say, but during those times it seemed more the first option. The girl who had never faced hardships nor real sadness was broken, her precious father was gone and now her heart was suffering, they were alone, her brother was forced to become the head of their family, what a heavy burden. Nari tried her best to be of help though there wasn’t a lot the girl could do on such situations.
Though the girl faced the cruelty of the world when her father passed away in front of her eyes, she remained gentle and tender, soft hearted, viewing the things not like they were but how they could be, like her father had always hoped she would stay, pure and innocent.
. . . ━━━ NOW INTRODUCING HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS, YI MINKI ━━━ . . .
・ ・ ・ ・ FROM THE NOBLE HOUSE OF YI, he’s the only son born to LADY KIM SUKWON. will he be a player or a pawn in this game of lies?
( ONLY TIME WILL TELL. )
“ NEVER LET YOUR LIGHT FADE.
UNMARRIED
PRINCE OF JOSEON
16 YEARS OLD
━ OPTIMISTIC ・ LOUD ・ KIND ・ CHILDISH
A ray of sunshine. That is the easiest way to describe the youngest Prince, Yi Minki. Ever since he was a child, he’s done nothing but try to put a smile on the faces of the people around him.
A sweet, if hyper child, Minki has always preferred studying to combat; his grades showing that is is far more intelligent than he lets on. Like all boys his age, he’s combat trained, can wield both sword and bow. However he’s not much of a fighter, he even cringes away from sparring with his brothers, leading many people to deride him (behind his back, or course) that he’s a weakling, The runt of the litter.
He is one of the youngest out of all of King Jungjong’s children and somewhat at the bottom of the pecking order when it comes to the rest of his siblings. His relationship with his father is distant, though Minki will do whatever it takes to gain the man’s pride. But he doesn’t hold any of them in spite, even if he isn’t particularly close to the older princes and princesses. They’re family, after all. And family is the most important thing.
Especially when you’ve lost two of them already.
He was only a child when Crown Prince Hwan met his death in battle and he’s not sure if he misses Hwan himself or misses the idealized version he has of his older brother: the brave solider that went to battle for the sake of their country and died for them all. It is one of the many reasons Minki hates war so much, it steals away people he loves.
The most recent death hurts the most, a death that has him waking up crying at night for his big sister to come back. He was at the Red Wedding like everyone else when Yeonhwa was poisoned, and although he was shielded to the best of mother’s ability, he still heard the agonized screams of his big sister, was still there when she took her final breath.
Minki hates death. It steals from everyone, royal and commoner.
Despite the trauma, Minki tries to keep up a positive attitude, tries to keep his siblings spirits up, despite the age gap between some of them. If they let the ones who killed Yeonwha see them in despair, then those evil people have won. And as nice as Minki is, he refuses to lose.
And if that means he’ll have to one day swallow his pride and take up arms, so be it.
. . . ━━━ NOW INTRODUCING HER ROYAL HIGHNESS, YI AERA ━━━ . . .
・ ・ ・ ・ FROM THE NOBLE HOUSE OF YI, she’s the youngest daughter born to LADY NA SOWON. will she be a player or a pawn in this game of lies?
( ONLY TIME WILL TELL. )
“ JUST LIVING IS NOT ENOUGH, YOU MUST BRING JOY.
UNMARRIED
PRINCESS OF JOSEON
16 YEARS OLD
━ OBSERVANT ・ SECRETIVE ・ CREATIVE ・ TIMID
the young princess is small and silent when she is born, so much so that the royal doctor insists she won’t last the night. she is a weak thing, won’t last a month, a year. but she does, every single time. she’s a fighter according to the attendants that watch over her through her illnesses. she gets her name late, the doctor adamant that she would live too long. yi aera: she never cries, is generally a happy little thing, a tiny flower waiting for her time to bloom.
she watches her siblings play as she gets older, sits on the sidelines as they run around. she sits and watches from her seat on the windowsill, her clothes pretty and silken and soft. she runs outside to join in, managing to pick up a wooden sword and swing it slightly before it is ripped from her grasp and she’s hoisted up into her mother’s arms. “you’re much too small aera, those toys aren’t for you!” she wants to cry and complain that she isn’t the youngest, but she knows it will do her no good. so instead she clutches her mother’s hand as they walk through the gardens, peering at the large trees, high walls and tall hedges, and she smiles sadly at her watching siblings. she is kept tucked away inside, like a precious gem or a delicate rose. she lives amongst books and dresses and canvases, she is taught how to entertain and hold conversations and be a perfect little lady. she excels in embroidery and painting, able to create new worlds with a few stitches here or a dab of paint there. she takes great pride in her artwork, glad to have found something that she can do well in.
she’s her mother’s little lady, her mother’s youngest daughter. she hides aera away from prying eyes and gossiping courts, and in turn, aera learns to hide away from her mother, learns to get her own way without getting into trouble. she finds secret ways through the palace, weaving her way past servants and guards, and watches. she sees everything, going unnoticed by most. she’s a wallflower, watching and keeping quiet. she watches as her siblings get married, watches lords and ladies enter the palace, hides away from the court ladies and servants who call her name. yi aera: though small, is strong and cunning, still a tiny flower waiting for her time to bloom.
… ━━━ NOW INTRODUCING THE YOUNG LORD JEON YEJUN ━━━ …
・ ・ ・ ・ FROM THE NOBLE HOUSE OF JEON, he’s the youngest son born to STATE COUNCIL OFFICIAL JEON. will he be a player or a pawn in this game of lies?
( ONLY TIME WILL TELL. )
“ TO FIND YOURSELF, THINK FOR YOURSELF.
UNMARRIED
CENSOR IN THE OFFICE OF CENSORS
23 YEARS OLD
━ KIND ・ ABRUPT ・ GOOD -HUMOURED ・ PESSIMISTIC
Yejun was born as the third son to State Council Official Jeon and his wife, a younger twin to his brother. His birth came as somewhat of a shock, as his his parents believed his mother was bearing only one child. As a child, Yejun was often sickly, which resulted in him be physically weaker than both his brothers and was easily beaten by both of them in both academics and combat. While Yejun adored his twin brother, he couldn’t help but resent the other boy, especially when rumors spread that his brother thrived at the cost of Yejun’s strength.
While Yejun grew out of his illnesses as he got older, the fact still remained that he was weaker than his older brothers. The birth of a daughter and the betrothal of his eldest brother to Section Head General Son’s daughter only cemented his position as the middle child of the family. When he was unable to pass the military exam and join his brother in the army, Yejun was instead groomed for the civil service, eventually attaining a position in the Office of Censors. Yejun finds the work dreary and mind-numbing, but he’d good at it and his parents are proud. That should be the end of it. But the more he learned during his line of work, the more Yejun began to question what he’d ever learned. And the more he wanted to change Joseon for the better. To let women like his siter be free once more. To make music and dance acceptable like it had been. Re-energized, Yejun decides that if he can’t change society though being a solider, he’d do it from the inside.
But he’s aware that one wrong move will end in disaster, one wrong move and not only will his family be disgraced, but it might even result in his own death.
Though, does that really matter when it seems as though the gap between you and your twin has widened since the wars? Yejun and Daehyung have begun to grow apart; though they still love each other, the army has hardened him towards Yejun, their family and everyone around him. To the point where Yejun fears he hates him for being so weak and embarrassing.
Which is why Yejun refuses to tell anyone, especially his brother that his illness is returning. All the more reason to change what he can, while he can if he’s up against the clock of life.
. . . ━━━ NOW INTRODUCING HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS, YI GEUM ━━━ . . .
・ ・ ・ ・ FROM THE NOBLE HOUSE OF YI, he’s the second son born to ROYAL CONSORT HONG HUIBIN. will he be a player or a pawn in this game of lies?
( ONLY TIME WILL TELL. )
“ I DON’T MIND THE BLOOD THAT STAINS MY HANDS.
MARRIED TO MINISTER YEON’S DAUGHTER
PRINCE OF JOSEON
23 YEARS OLD
━ STUBBORN ・ PASSIONATE ・ PROTECTIVE ・ HOT -TEMPERED
…
He is nothing but one of the many princes amongst everyone within the royal family, born of a concubine but bestowed with royal blood.
He doesn’t have to count his place amongst everyone—its almost a given that he’s just one of the many princes born to the king.
His father.
Of course, Yi Geum never sees him—or at the very least, he’s too indifferent to care to see him, his passion and interest always lying with something else entirely different compared to actually currying favour with the king.
He only appears out of royal obligation, nothing more, nothing less.
It’s a huge disappointment to his mother, the Royal Consort Hong HuiBin.
He’s her favourite son, but he’s uninterested in living a role in the throne.
…
He is only seven when the scholars and tutors find out that the reason for his indifference, his endless sleeping in various classes was something caused by his high intellect. Its not the fault of any of the teachers, he reasons with them—he just runs on a faster frequency compared to all their minds.
He memorises every official text that he comes across with his thirst for reading, and by the time he’s ten, none of the scholars have anything left to teach him.
He’s too learned for them.
Too Unpredictable.
Too Perfect.
Too like his name.
He is Yi Geum (昑)—a prince that shines too brightly for his own good, a prince with an intellect that is far too dangerous and bright for his precocious age.
…
But there’s nothing in this world that is entirely perfect, they soon find out.
Their gifted prince is cursed with a temper as mercurial as the changing tides and seas.
He is intelligent, gifted—but yet burns with a body full of boiling blood.
Unpredictable, and Mercurial.
The two worst combinations of the worst of being wroth.
Its not a surprise that the name and rumour of his fiery temperament surpasses that of the good sayings of his genius intellect.
The young prince finds that he doesn’t care.
Its his own problem to deal with, and he needs to find a better way to channel it—when he chances upon one of his older brother practicising swordsmanship.
The fluid art that is the way of the sword attracts him, lures him, like an ant to a honey trap, each glint of the sun against the sword causing his heart to burn with a strange desire in his chest.
He demands to take up swordsmanship as part of his activities that day, positing it to his mother, who is pleased that he’s aiming for something that could boost his name up.
He never corrects her misconception, simply appeased with the fact that he has something else to do other than regularly listening to classes that bored him to death.
The prince simply skips those lessons altogether, devoting himself in the way of the sword studiously.
No one says anything about it, but only because he is royalty.
…
He is thirteen when his sword first tastes blood, cleaving human flesh into two with the vicious rage that he has learnt to tame and redirect into something to complement with his swordplay.
It’s a failed assassination attempt on his life, though Yi Geum himself leaves that battle with a few more scars than usual.
It’s the first time that he’s raised his bloodthirsty sword to fight to protect something, and the young prince is exhilarated by it.
Adrenaline rushes through his veins as he cuts down the assassins like a wild animal hell bent on revenge, a wild grin on his face and sword singing in his hands.
He’s covered in blood that isn’t is at the end of things, drenched from head to toe in the metallic liquid, but alive.
Its not till later that they realise those assassins hadn’t been aiming for him, but one of his more popular and higher ranked brothers. Geum had simply been at the wrong place, at the wrong time—a collateral damage that the mastermind would have also been pleased about, given his position and status.
He’s just terribly lucky that he’s skilled enough with the sword, and sharpened enough with his rage to take on a group of five assassins with just flesh injuries.
…
Geum never says anything of particular affection to his siblings—but they still hold the most sway over his feelings and anger, especially when Hwan is killed.
The coiling ball of fury that clenches in his belly burns like the hottest oil, bubbling beneath the surface of his skin and searing his blood as he refuses to let his tears fall.
He turns to his sword for comfort—the song of the sword singing, the feel of it slicing through the air as he dances to the tune of bloodshed and anger that he hears in his veins.
Hwan’s death only secures his decision—he doesn’t want the throne, especially if it sacrifices the siblings that he care about.
…
But of all the things that he forgets—he fails to remember that he is a prince.
His marriage is arranged at his mother’s behest, to the Deputy Minister Yeon’s only daughter.
If there’s one thing that he clearly knows—he hates feeling like a pawn in other’s games. His mother uses his marriage as a door to spy into the opposing faction, and he feels used, disgusted and utterly degraded that he has no choice but to concede to the marriage.
He’s married when he turns 18, a curl of displeasure on his lips as he faces his new bride in their rooms. She’s beautiful and everything a man would ever hope for, but he feels nothing but a gaping distrust bubbling up in his chest.
He leaves his bride in their shared rooms after consummating their marriage, seeking comfort in the arms of another elsewhere.
…
Five years down the road, and despite all his distrust and disgruntledness—he is still married.
They are civil—almost loving, on his part especially in front of others, the warmth and care that he radiates towards his wife deceiving almost everyone of the beauty of what seems like their fairytale like arranged marriage.
He’s as cold as ice to her behind closed doors, even on the nights that they have to sleep in a room together, there’s always a pillow between them, drawing a clear cut line between the two right between the floors—and only one other night every three months that he does his designated duty as her husband and beds her.
He’s still the same Geum inside and out—prideful, wroth, passionate and protective, but at the same time incredibly skewered in many of his viewpoints on multiple things.
…
