The Morning Star in the Southeast
“Bong-bong-ah... Wait, I suppose I should call you Bong-mok now. Bong-mok-ah.”
“...Yes.”
I answered politely enough, but Bong-mok? No matter how many times I rolled the name over in my head, it felt completely alien.
“Seol-hyang-hamanim. Can’t I just... keep being Bong-bong?”
“Hmm?”
“I’ve lived my whole life knowing myself as Bong-bong, and you said it’s already written down as Bong-bong on the palace maid roster anyway. Bong-mok is so difficult to say. My tongue keeps tripping over it whenever I try...”
Faced with my earnest, desperate explanation, Seol-hyang nodded slowly.
“Well, if you like Bong-bong better, then that’s what we’ll call you. What’s so hard about that? Bong-bong is Bong-bong, after all.” A bright grin spread across her face. “To tell you the truth, I think Bong-bong suits you a hundred times better than Bong-mok anyway. Don’t you agree, Bong-bong-ah?”
“Yes! Exactly!”
Phew. Thank goodness.
Restored to my true identity as Bong-bong once more, I hurried along, trying to keep up despite my increasingly leaden feet.
We had been walking for quite a while.
Trudge, trudge.
“Haaah...”
Shuffle, shuffle.
“Oof...”
We had departed Namchon and were now making our way toward Seol-hyang’s family home in Jungchon, but my pace was slowing to an agonizing crawl. My back was drenched in cold, clammy sweat, and my throat tasted of bitter, copper-sweet exhaustion. The mysterious scrap of paper I had salvaged from my childhood house still weighed heavily on my mind, but right now, an immediate physical crisis took precedence.
I’m going to drop dead of exhaustion...
I had hit the absolute limit. The meager stamina of a four-year-old toddler was on the verge of total collapse.
“Bong-bong-ah. Do your legs hurt very badly?”
“Yes...”
Truth be told, I wanted nothing more than to collapse right onto the dirt and never stand up again. I had taken pride in having decent stamina after scurrying around Changgyeonggung all day, but that had been pure arrogance. Compared to the vast expanse of Hanseong, the royal palace was practically the size of a postage stamp. Walking all the way from Changgyeonggung through Unjongga and roaming across Namchon had pushed this four-year-old frame far beyond its endurance.
“Bong-bong-ah, do you want me to carry you on my back?”
“No. I can still walk.”
“Aiya, look at you...”
Watching me break into a heavy sweat, Seol-hyang looked at me with deep concern before reaching out and firmly taking my hand. “This won’t do. Come on, Bong-bong-ah. Let’s head over there.”
The place she led me to was a bustling tavern situated right by the roadside. Seol-hyang seemed to be on very familiar terms with the tavern keeper. After exchanging warm greetings with the woman, Seol-hyang pulled out her coin purse.
“Auntie, I’d like to settle my father’s tab right now. How much is it?”
“Oh my, truly? Heavens bless you! You’re the only soul in this town who clears her father’s drinking debts before I even have to ask! But my, who is this darling little young lady over here?” The keeper gestured toward me as I sat perched on the wooden veranda, rhythmically patting my aching calves.
“Ah, she’s our aegi-nain from the palace. In fact, I wanted to ask a favor of you. Could you watch over her for just a little while?”
“If it’s a favor for you, Seol-hyang, of course! But why leave her here?”
“I have to run by my house, but we’ve walked such a long distance that the poor child is utterly exhausted. The palace curfew isn’t far off, so every moment counts.”
“Say no more. I’ll look after her with utmost care, so go on and hurry along.”
“Thank you so much. Please feed her a hot bowl of soup and let her rest comfortably. I’ll make it back within one sijing.”
“Don’t you worry your head about a thing. Who do you think you’re talking to?”
Even so, Seol-hyang turned to me, giving me a stern, anxious reminder. “Bong-bong-ah. You must stay inside the tavern. You must never, ever wander off somewhere else, understand?”
“I understand.”
“Eat a nice bowl of soup and take a little nap. I’ll be back before you know it.”
“Yes, hamanim.”
Still anxious, Seol-hyang slipped an extra coin into the tavern keeper’s palm before turning away. The keeper gave her a broad, reassuring smile.
“Just trust me and go! Come here, little one. Would you like a piping hot bowl of that special soup the high-ranking noblemen call hyojonggaeng?”
“Gasp. Hyojonggaeng? Yes! I’d love some!”
Hyojonggaeng!
That was a dish I had only ever read about in historical texts—the legendary hangover cure of Joseon, rumored to be so exquisitely delicious that scholars and high officials ordered it delivered to their gates before dawn! My legs throbbed and my stomach had begun to rumble. And on top of that, it was hyojonggaeng. There was no resisting this.
I waved goodbye to Seol-hyang and quickly scrambled into a seat. Moments later, the tavern keeper brought over a steaming earthenware bowl filled to the brim.
“Slurp... Haah!”
It was downright heavenly. Rich, steaming beef broth loaded with tender beef, sweet napa cabbage, and hearty mushrooms, poured generously over rice—taking a single spoonful felt like the entire world belonged to me.
“My, my, look at how delightfully you eat! You must be adored beyond measure inside the royal palace, little one.”
“Hehe. I suppose I am, just a little.”
“How precious! This is why a person needs a daughter... Oh, my lord! Welcome, please come right in!”
True to her word to Seol-hyang, the keeper looked after me with tender care, even as she greeted other patrons. Meanwhile, I was far too preoccupied burying my face in the hyojonggaeng to care about anything else. But just as I was savoring the rich, savory broth coating my tongue—
“...Hm?”
What was that?
I snapped my head up. An inexplicable prickle of unease had crawled up the nape of my neck.
I could have sworn someone was staring at me...
Then again, seeing a tiny toddler dressed in fine palace silk slurping down soup all by herself in a roadside tavern was bound to attract curious glances. Just in case, I scanned the tavern once more, but felt no further suspicious signs.
Must have been my imagination.
Refocusing on my meal, I emptied the bowl to the very last grain of rice. The moment I set the spoon down, a heavy, blissful drowsiness settled over me. I had definitely overeaten. I was exhausted, my belly was pleasantly full of hot broth, and the afternoon sunlight filtered through the courtyard with gentle warmth.
I’m so... sleepy...
As I sat there nodding off, fighting to keep my eyelids open, the tavern keeper gently shook my shoulder.
“Oh, precious, don’t doze off sitting up like that. I’ve laid out a sleeping mat in the back room, so go lie down and take a rest. Seol-hyang will be back shortly.”
“Would that really be all right?”
“Of course it is! Come now, up we go.”
Half-blind with slumber, I let the keeper guide me by the hand into the room. Tucked away behind the bustling tavern, the quiet back room was completely sheltered from the coming and going of strangers, furnished with a thick, plush mat and a cozy quilt.
“I’ll just sleep for a little bit, then...”
The moment I curled up atop the bedding, overwhelming sleep pulled me under. Feeling the gentle, rhythmic patting of the tavern keeper tucking the blanket around my shoulders, I sank deep into the realm of dreams.
Ungh... I want to sleep a little more...
My vision swayed. My stomach churned with violent nausea. Something felt terribly, horribly wrong.
What is this...?
When my eyes snapped wide open, the entire world was jolting violently up and down. No—more accurately, my small body was being held in someone’s arms. Whoever was holding me was moving at a near-sprint, causing my body to bounce uncontrollably with every step.
Only then did my fogged mind remember that I had fallen asleep in the back room of the tavern.
“Seol-hyang-hamanim...?”
Or was it the tavern keeper? But why was she moving so fast? And what was this bizarre smell... Why did it reek so intensely of incense?
It was then that a low, ghastly voice hissed directly above my ear.
“I found you. Cursed little wench. A wench born to bring down the wrath of the heavens!”
My heart plunged into the bottom of my stomach.
Fighting to bring my swaying, blur-filled vision into focus, I looked up at the owner of the voice.
“Yesterday, the Taebaekseong appeared in the southeast! Do you know what that means?! It means sinners shall reap their retribution, and those who brought harm to others shall pay with their lives! The Morning Star! In the southeast! An ill-omened wench! A wench who must die!”
A blood-chilling terror seized me. My entire body began to tremble uncontrollably.
Why is this madwoman holding me?!
The woman carrying me was none other than Suk-jeong!
“Help me! Somebody help me!”
The moment I realized I was being kidnapped by Suk-jeong, I screamed and thrashed with all my might. But in that very instant, Suk-jeong shoved a wad of filthy, bundled cloth ruthlessly into my mouth. Whether fueled by sheer madness or desperation, her grip possessed monstrous, terrifying strength.
She broke into a dead run.
With both my mouth and nose smothered tight, air grew scarce at a terrifying rate.
“Save... mmph...!”
A whirlwind of desperate thoughts flashed through my suffocating mind. If Seol-hyang discovered I had vanished, how intensely would she blame herself? How much agony would she endure? And Lady Jang Hui-bin...? What about the Crown Prince...? What would happen to them?
“Uugh...”
Just as my consciousness began to flicker into blackness, the screech of a creaking door shattered the air, and Suk-jeong hurled me violently to the floor.
The brutal impact sent sharp agony radiating through my tiny frame, but I had no luxury to nurse my bruises. Pull yourself together. Stay awake...!
Gasping desperately for air, I frantically looked around. I was trapped inside some kind of dilapidated storehouse. Total darkness hemmed in every corner, saturated with the suffocating stench of rancid mildew and cheap, heavy incense.
“Help! Is anyone there?! Help me!”
Watching me shriek at the top of my lungs, Suk-jeong threw her head back and let out a chilling, cackling laugh.
“Scream all you want! This is an abandoned shamanic shrine! Not a single living soul will ever hear your wretched squeals!”
“Why... why are you doing this to me?!”
“You dare ask why?!” Suk-jeong shrieked, her voice tearing into a maddened screech. “You sinister little parasite! You ruined my life! A great calamity! The terrible doom that befell me was all because of you!”
She clamped her trembling hands together, looking up toward the rotting ceiling as though possessed by a frenzy.
“Spirits of Heaven and Earth! This child is an unholy abomination! An evil seed planted to destroy us! You wretched little brat, I must end your breath with my own hands!”
Through the shadows, a grotesque, frenzied gleam flared in her eyes. They were the eyes of a woman who had completely severed all ties with sanity. Thick, frothing white foam coated the corners of her lips.
“Die! You cursed thing! I shall tear your limbs apart and offer them as a sacrifice to the spirits!”
“Aaargh!”
At the exact moment Suk-jeong lunged toward me, the world seemed to slow to an absolute standstill. Was this the panoramic reel of memories people said flashed before your eyes right before death?
Seol-hyang’s face.
Jang Hui-bin’s face.
The warm hand of Seol-hyang stroking my hair, and the tender, fragrant warmth of Lady Jang’s embrace.
The slumped, lonely shoulders of the Crown Prince weeping in secret solitude.
And Prince Lee Hwon’s innocent, toothy giggle as he babbled, ‘Bong-bo!’
It was precisely then.
CRACK!
With a deafening crash that shook the earth, the wooden door bar shattered into splinters.
BANG!
Through the splintered entryway, brilliant afternoon sunlight cascaded across the gloom, and a silhouette burst into the shrine. Moving with the lightning speed of a fierce tiger, the figure dove straight between Suk-jeong and me.
It happened in the span of a single heartbeat.
By the time my senses returned, a chilling, razor-sharp steel blade was leveled mere inches from Suk-jeong’s throat.
“Step away from the child.”
A low, bone-chilling voice echoed through the shrine.
The man was clad in the attire of a royal guard. But wait... that warrior...
Huh?
Mister Fierce-Eyes?!