화랑 - a tale of curiosity [ON HOLD]

🌸chapter one🌸

Two years later, Ji-ae found her way to Silla, and successfully found the man in which her mother told her to. She made that her first priority when she first entered the gates. He was called An Ji-Gong, from what her mother had told her. He was a close friend from when her mother was little. They lived in Silla together before Mother was arranged for marriage in another Kingdom.

A marriage that ended in ruin and death.

"An Ji-Gong?"

A pale looking girl approached the man named An Ji-Gong. He was tending to pots of steaming liquids and remedies.

"Yes?" He stood, letting the image of the girl sink into his mind. "Have we met before? You look..so familiar."

Ji-ae widened her eyes, finally finding the man whom her mother mentioned to seek out. She wiped the tears falling from her eyes, and the man had no idea what to do, he extended his arm directing her to the stand in the center of what was the medical site.

"My name is Kim Ji-ae. My mother  was--"

"Ji-eon." Taking the words right out of the girls mouth, she nodded to him. "Why are you here?"

The young girl fumbled around in her pocket before pulling out a necklace, it had a small pearl in the center of it, almost glistening like a diamond at the man. He widened his eyes, and took the necklace from the girl's out stretched hand.

"You really are her daughter. Where is she? Is she here?" He abruptly stands, scouting out the area from where Ji-ae emerged but he found no one he remembered. He turned back around to see Ji-ae now standing.

"She said you could help me. She never mentioned why."

He was confused to say the least, she didn't answer his question. However, he knew what she was talking about, he raised an arm to his house and she followed silently. Neither of the two initiated a conversation, the tension of unanswered questions could have been sliced with a hair pin from Ji-ae's own hair.

An Ji-Gong opened the door to the back and then directed Ji-ae to a dresser. He took a step forward, opening the doors and removing a false plank at the bottom, revealing a trunk it which he pulled out. He dropped it onto the floor between him and Ji-ae, gesturing for Ji-ae to open it. It was full of women's clothes and jewelry. Paint and a collection of brushes was also found, something that Ji-ae loved to do.

"Where is your mother?" Ji-ae listened but didn't answer. She said she would return with someone special. To show that she didn't forget me." He said in a questioning tone. "She said, she would love our children to be close friends. She wanted to show you where she grew up." He continued, but to avoid the tears from falling, she ignored him and held a hanbok against herself, imagining it on herself. She then picked up a notebook which sat at the bottom along with the others, she flicked through the fragile pages. "Ji-ae. Where is--"

"She's dead." Was all the young girl said before going to stand up. An Ji-Gong stopped her by placing a hand on her own. She meet his confused, glass covered eyes. Somehow, he believed her, no matter how much he didn't want to. Ji-ae took a deep breath, relaxing all her tensed muscles. "My Father. He killed her due to a drunken mistake. We both planned to leave that night." Ji-ae sniffed, scrunching her hanbok's skirt in her fist's, refusing to look the man in his eyes. "Only one of us got to leave that night."