DTE Prologue

“Haa, haa…”

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Though early spring was just around the corner, heavy snow had fallen the night before. The layered peaks of Simjung Mountain were notorious for long winters and particularly deep snowfalls. If that kind-hearted hunter hadn’t helped him, So Seo would almost certainly have frozen to death.

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The hunter was still asleep, but there was no time to waste on pleasantries. So Seo slipped out at the crack of dawn without even a proper goodbye. At least he’d left a few nyang¹ of silver as thanks, narrowly avoiding the shame of appearing utterly ungrateful. As he stepped out of the hut, dawn was just breaking over the eastern ridge.

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It was a true snowfield.

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As the sun rose, the vast expanse of white that blanketed the world gleamed even brighter under its light. Fresh green sprouts on branches that had barely bloomed before being battered by the blizzard, the crisp, piercingly clear air, and the pure calls of birds—it was a breathtaking vista. But So Seo had no leisure to admire the scenery.

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“Ack!”

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Thud! A short scream and the loud crash of a fall rang out almost simultaneously. Groaning, So Seo crawled into a sitting position.

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“Ah…”

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He must have missed a large rock hidden beneath the snow. His palms were scraped raw against the frozen earth beneath, beads of blood welling up. His knee throbbed so badly that when he cautiously pressed it with his fingers, he felt sticky blood soaking through the fabric of his pants. His body was already frozen stiff from the cold, yet only his knee burned and stung.

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For a moment, he panicked, then untied the silk cord that had been holding his hair and clumsily bound his knee with it. The ornate, finely embroidered soft leather shoes were clearly not meant for mountain paths—they were already fraying and wouldn’t last much longer. His bare feet, pitiful inside, were exposed. His threadbare jeogori² and pale face, marred by scratches like unwanted ornaments, made for a disheveled sight.

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The sorrow lasted only a moment before So Seo thought of that man, the very one who had driven him to this state.

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He was more beautiful than anyone So Seo had ever seen, stronger than anyone, yet more terrifying than anyone. Defying him was a thought so frightening it made So Seo’s entire body tremble uncontrollably, his mind going blank.

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It hurt too much. Suddenly, a wave of grief surged up. Before he knew it, So Seo was sobbing quietly. In truth, he was terrified of fleeing alone like this down a mountain path toward an unknown destination. He kept moving only because being caught by that man was even more terrifying. No matter how lowly raised he’d been, when he thought about it, So Seo had always lived under someone’s protection. He realized anew that he had, in reality, been no different from an ignorant child who knew nothing of the world.

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Still, he knew at least that he shouldn’t cry carelessly in such cold. Shivering as if chilled to the bone, So Seo wrapped his arms around himself.

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He should have accepted punishment back then.

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Though So Seo was not technically a cheonno³, he was a yangmin⁴  treated little better than a cheonmin. Those who worked in gisaeng houses⁵ were generally regarded that way.

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Even for a yangmin granted proper yangmin status, taking a life was a grave crime second only to treason. And if the victim was a noble’s close attendant, the punishment was aggravated. A noble’s retainer was someone even struggling yangmin or lowly cheonmin had to revere nearly as much as the noble himself. Escaping severe punishment would have been nearly impossible. Though registered as yangmin, So Seo was treated as scarcely better than a cheonmin—he could have been beheaded on the spot, his head impaled on a pike under the pretext of defiling a corpse.

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Yet So Seo had kept his life. That was entirely thanks to the man.

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“If killing the inner official was…”

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So Seo shook his head, barely shaking off the intrusive, vile voice cluttering his mind.

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The man was his benefactor. He had to be.

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But the life that followed—being dragged away by that man and living at his side—was truly no life at all. At his side, So Seo learned that breathing did not mean one was alive. He could endure no longer. If he had stayed, he felt he would wither away, unable to even die, wandering forever in a purgatory between life and death.

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He no longer had the strength to think. Shaking his head, So Seo painfully rose, feeling the ache in his injured leg. But his body refused to move as easily as his will.

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“Ah, heuk, it hurts…”

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His careless fall had finally caught up with his ankle. Every step doubled the pain—he wasn’t sure what was wrong. Perhaps this was punishment for evading his crime.

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Tears fell in heavy drops from the pain and sorrow.

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Would it be right to just die here? He couldn’t escape that man anyway. Under the guise of mercy, the man had confined So Seo in a prison without bars. No—that was So Seo’s karma. The man bore not the slightest fault.

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Was this his last chance? To pay for his crime…

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Struggling further felt meaningless. No, So Seo had no right to struggle for survival. He had to atone. The price was his life.

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Even if he was innocent.

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The terrain of Simjung Mountain was as beautiful as it was harsh, and as harsh as it was beautiful. So Seo changed direction. Instead of crossing the peak, he walked off the path in his tattered shoes. His feet sank deep into the thick snow. Beneath it lay sharp, jagged branches that his soft leather shoes couldn’t protect against. His feet were scratched all over, frozen bright red and stinging, until at some point he lost all feeling.

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The path grew narrower, jagged rocks jutting out more frequently. With So Seo’s skill, going further became impossible. Pushing through frozen trees and brush, he soon reached a cliff midway up the mountain. Thick, hazy clouds obscured the bottom far below, making the sheer height unreal. Fear suddenly gripped him.

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Faced with actual death, he was terrified. It was laughable. He had accepted his death as inevitable, yet he lacked the courage to take that final step. Would it hurt? How long would it take? Would it take a long time? Would it be cold and lonely? All sorts of frightening thoughts tormented him.

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He felt like a filthy insect.

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He had believed that taking a life demanded repayment—yet in the end, that had all been empty bravado. Death itself wasn’t unjust, but it was terrifying. He couldn’t do it alone. He almost wished someone would push him from behind. That the vengeful spirit of the man he’d killed would rise from the cliff and drag him down. That it would take its revenge on him.

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Kneeling on the ground, So Seo slowly removed his outer coat. He draped the large coat over his head. He thought that if he looked directly at the cliff, he wouldn’t find the courage to jump.

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His legs shook so badly he couldn’t walk, so he decided to crawl.

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“I’m sorry, my lord.”

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So Seo murmured, his parched lips barely moving. The man was terrifying, but none of this was his fault. It was all the problem of foolish, inadequate So Seo. So it was right that So Seo bear it and end it.

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But even that was a brief indulgence. Crawling on trembling arms and legs, So Seo’s body suddenly refused to move further. A cool presence approached from behind. Strong pressure gripped his waist—someone’s arm was firmly wrapped around it.

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At that moment, a fierce gust of wind blew. The coat flew off So Seo’s head. Only then did he realize he had been one single step away.

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“Heu.”

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The sheer cliff face was right before his eyes; So Seo instinctively held his breath.

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“Do not do anything foolish.”

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From somewhere farther down the steep mountain path came the sound of a horse snorting—as if it had been galloped hard up the slope.

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It was him. The man’s voice was perfectly calm, his breathing undisturbed. Just hearing it, So Seo was unable to move.

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He had sought to dominate So Seo completely, and So Seo was a possession that belonged to him. Perhaps even in death.

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“My lord—no, I mean, Your Highness, I…”

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“…….”

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“I had no choice. It was too much, I… uegh.”

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So Seo broke off mid-sentence and dry-heaved. His stomach twisted painfully, yet nothing came up.

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The man silently stroked So Seo’s back, then lifted him without a word. He cradled the limp So Seo as if accustomed to it. So Seo barely managed to raise his trembling hands; his fingertips finally reached the man. The man did not restrain them at all—instead, he gently guided them to wrap around his own neck.

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Everything about the man was large, while everything about So Seo was small. With one hand, he completely enveloped So Seo’s feet, which had turned bright red from the cold.

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“Your feet are frozen. You’ll catch a cold again.”

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His tone was utterly casual, as if all of this—So Seo’s escape that hadn’t even lasted a full day—were nothing of any consequence.

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“My lord…”

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“I suppose you’ve had enough of sightseeing in the mountains for now.”

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So Seo’s lips trembled. He wanted to say something. But his body, pushed to its limit, could no longer sustain consciousness. His vision blurred, then went completely dark.

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The man skillfully caught So Seo’s swaying, collapsing body with his arm.