Chapter Text
The day the missing child was found, it was winter.
Snow lightly fell on the soil, turning everything white as far as the eyes could see.
It was a tranquil morning. Cho Yeong slowly raised a cup to her lips, sipping the warm tea. Peach flower tea, her favourite.
"Agassi! Agassi!"
The frantic call caught Cho Yeong's attention. She turned her head to the doorway and raised her brow to her maid, So-i.
"Agassi! Th- she watched So-i, put her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath -They found him! Dolyeonnim is back!"
Cho Yeong let out a gasp, her heart beating hard against her chest. The cup in her hand fell to the floor, cracking.
Everyone remembers the tragedy that befallen the Jang family ten years ago, knows the devastation left in the wake of the missing child and sees how it slowly broke the spirit of his father, the formidable Cheonbugwan leader, as he searched all over the country for his son.
Over the years, many have tried to claim they are Jang Uk.
'Is it really him this time? Is he finally found?' she tried to squash the hope that started to bloom in her heart to no avail.
Before she knew it, she was already out of her seat and started running. Vaguely, she heard So-i calling out to her, but she ignored the call and kept running.
She ran as fast as she could, through the landscape of white, snow crunched under her shoes. She couldn't think of anything else, she needed to see him.
Her steps halted when she caught sight of a tall man standing in the middle of the room. She regarded him from head to toe. Long hair held together by blue ribbon, broad shoulders and ill-fitting hemp robes.
The man began to turn and Cho Yeong felt her heart jump to her throat.
Shaky breath unwittingly left her as their eyes met.
His face was of a stranger, a handsome one, but a stranger nonetheless.
All these years, she always thought when she met Jang Uk again one day, she surely would knew it was him.
But… she didn't recognize this man. There is simply no familiarity she could draw between the boy she know and the man that stood in front of her.
"Dolyeonnim, you are our Dolyeonnim, right?" Kim Do joo's sniffles broke their stare off. Cho Yeong could hear the desperation in her voice clearly, as Kim Do joo grasped the stranger's hand tightly. "What took you so long to come home? This is all my fault. I should have protected you better. I- her cries turned even more heart-wrenching and, just like always, Kim Do joo soon fainted. The sight made her heart ache. This always happens and she hates it. She hated seeing the woman who raised and love her to be in pain like this.
“Please bring her back to her room,” she instructed the maids around her. "Take care of her,"
“Yes Agassi,”
"Are you Jang Uk?" she asked, prying her eyes away from Kim Do joo as she walked closer to the man. "Or are you just another imposter?"
"They said I'm Jang Uk," he answered. His voice was deep and calm, as if he wasn't in danger of persecution if he lied.
"Do you know who that woman is?"
“I have no idea who she is,” his answered, voice still as steady as before. She was almost glad that Kim Do joo was not awake to hear about this.
“You are not Jang Uk,” she scoffed, “Jang Uk will never forget her. How could you claim to be him when-
"Agassi," the smooth, honeyed voice of Jin Mu, her guardian assistant, interrupted her, "We have confirmation. The shape of the scar on his hand and his features match-
"All the others before him passed this test too. It doesn't prove anything," she snapped at him, glaring. “Where is Lord Jang? He should be here to judge for himself. You have no right to bring anyone you think is Jang Uk here,”
“I sent my men to tell Lord Jang the good news. He will soon be home,” there is a twitch of annoyance in his eyes even if his mouth still smiled pleasantly. “And I must remind you, Agassi. Lord Jang had given me authority to carry on the test myself if he wasn’t here to oversee it. Please understand, Agassi,”
She gritted her teeth and let her gaze settle back to the tall man. She will prove that he was just another imposter. "Do you remember something of your life here?"
"No, it's all blank," he told her, gaze holding hers, unafraid.
“Tell me, what is your favourite food? What did your childhood friends look like? What do we usually play? How did you get the scars on your hand?” she threw her question rapidly, knowing even if he could answer her first three questions, an imposter could never answer the last correctly. “Jang Uk was eleven years old when he went missing. Surely you can’t claim you are too young to remember anything, right?”
Before he could say anything, Jin Mu, that snake, answered for him, "He hit his head when he fell into the river. It must wipe away all of his memories, Agassi,” his voice grating on her nerves.
"I thought coming here would awaken some of those memories, but nothing came back," the tall man added almost wistfully.
"How convenient," she sneered and crossed her arms, spark of anger deepened. “You are creative, I admit, none has ever tried this way before. Are you-
“You keep asking me questions,” he cuts, eyes glinting sharply. This man is dangerous. “Who are you? No one told me I had a sister,"
"No, you are an only child, Dolyeonnim," Jin Mu said before she got a chance to answer. "This lady here is Cho Yeong Agassi, your father's ward and also your betrothed,"
Under Jin Mu's authority and good judgement's the stranger was accepted into Jang’s family home.
They trimmed his hair, scrubbed his skin clean and draped him in the best quality silk. Gone was the former fisherman, as he claimed to be. Now in his place was a man of noble blood, worthy of the title he held as the heir of the Jang family.
Still, he was just some stranger, an imposter. He might have fooled Kim Do Joo, servant Lee, Park Jin, Master Heo, Seo Yul, Park Dang Gu and charmed the whole Jang household, but he couldn't fool her.
Cho Yeong let out a deep sigh as she leaned back against the bark of the tree she climbed on, a high and sturdy tree in an empty courtyard that used to be lively and full of laughter.
The chill that bites her skin doesn’t bother her as she stares at the snow falling down on her palm. She remembered, a long time ago, she would make a rabbit from the snow and-
“Don’t you think you’ve gone too far, Cho Yeong Agassi?” a voice she has grown accustomed to these past couple of days, accused.
Looking down, she saw the stranger looking at her with a frown. Ah right, this courtyard is not empty anymore.
“I’ve done nothing wrong,” she shrugged. “I'm just sitting here and enjoying the scenery,"
“You are stalking me,” he said in conviction, like he knew what she had done these past days. “Why?”
“That was a heavy accusation,” she scowled. It was true this time, though. For once, she wasn’t following him. “What? Got a secret that no one could know?” she couldn’t help but taunted.
“I believe that was the purpose of a secret. But, I don’t have any secrets, Agassi,” was his smart comeback.
“Really?” she scoffed. “Everyone has a secret,”
“Not me, I'm an open book," he said, a wry smile gracing his lips.
Yeong rolled her eyes. What a liar...
"Well, as riveting as this conversation is, I think I have enough of your lie," she said whilst climbing down the tree. It was slippery and the next thing she knew she was already falling down.
Screams stuck in her throat as she braced herself for the pain. She can't let him know her secret.
Instead of meeting the cold ground, she was engulfed in a warm embrace.
She gasped, her heart beating fast. Everything stood still, and her eyes focused on him. This close she could even count his eyelashes and this scent…
Bergamot... Honey... Blood?
Memories of the past began to flood her mind.
'Yeong! Be careful! Kim Do Joo will be mad if you tear your chima again,'
'I'm the best climber in all Daeho. I will be fine. Come on, Uk! Climb- Arrgh!
'Yeong!'
"Are you alright?" he asked, bringing her back to the present. She swore she saw a flash of worry in his eyes before it turned cold once more.
"I'm fine," she blinked back her tears. Those memories always made her heart ache, the pain had tormented her for years. She misses her best friend.
"Are you certain? I think you have a fever. Your face is red," he said, mischief glinted in his eyes. "Or, are you blushing?"
She flushed, tears forgotten. "I'm not blushing! Put me down,"
"Why? You look comfortable here,"
"Put me down!"
"As you wish, Agassi," he smirked and helped her down. Certain that she wouldn't topple over, she took a step away from him. Her cheeks feel hot. This is embarrassing. To hide it, she settles for anger.
"Thank you. But don't think you could get in my good grace by helping me," she told him, eyes hard. "I'm not that naive. So, whatever plan you try to do. You better stop now," with that warning, she marched away.
"Uk! Do you still not remember me? It's me Dang-gu! I'm your best friend!"
The exuberant Park Dang-gu.
"Give him time, Dang-gu,'
The composed Seo Yul.
"I don't remember anything. I'm sorry,"
Once, there was the mischievous Jang Uk. But, the man that stood in his place today was the stoic stranger.
The three of them used to be a trio with bond stronger than brothers.
Now, she could see the awkwardness between them that even Dang-gu cheerfulness couldn't mask. She could see how cold and guarded this new 'Jang Uk' is.
She was sure the scent she smelled last night was blood... Just who the hell is he?
"When is the wedding, Yeong Unnie?"
She startled, before composing herself. “Who's wedding?” her head tilted in confusion as she looked at Jin Cho Yeon, the younger of Jin sister.
“Yours, of course!” Cho Yeon exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “Your betrothed has come home at last. It was like a fairy tale comes true, Yeong Unnie,” she gushed.
“Not for now,” Yeong answered diplomatically. She couldn’t say that she thought the stranger was an imposter. She needed more proof. “We need time to know each other again,” she added as she turned her gaze at the stranger. She made herself busy by lifting a cup of tea to her lips. She pulled a face, her tea has gone cold.
“But-
"Do you want to join them, Yeong?" a clear voice cuts through Cho Yeon protest. The voice belongs to Jin Bu Yeon, the elder of Jin sister.
"No, I am just observing them," she turned back, smiling lightly at Bu Yeon.
"Couldn’t bear to be apart from him, right?" Cho Yeon chimed in, vigor renewed. “How romantic. Are you worried about him, Yeong Unnie?"
"Huh?"
"You worried he would be overwhelmed by stupid Park Dang-gu, right?"
"Stupid Park Dang-gu? What did he do this time? Isn't his hair so perfect that it shone like molten gold under the light?” Yeong teased, "I remember someone told me that a week ago,"
"I never said that!" Cho-yeon protested.
“Someone also said his smile is mesmerizing, brilliant like the sun on a summer day,” Bu Yeon added.
“Unnie!” Cho Yeon whined, her cheeks aflame. “I- I don’t know what you two are talking about!” she ran away from there as Yeong laughter rang in the air.
“Cho-yeon, don’t go!” Yeong dramatically called out, giggling.
“There was a disturbance in the south of the city last night,” Bu Yeon said after her sister left. “Soul shifter,”
"The curious thing is she is dead now, and it's not Cheonbugwan, Songrim or Jinyowon's work," Yeong sobered up, her lips thinned into a line.
"Not Naksu's either,"
Cho Yeong lips twitched, "No. The whisper on the street said it was someone completely different. It was a man, dressed in blue, scarf covering his lower face, eyes dark and he wielded a sword. The people called him Hwisu, the soul reaper,"
"Yin and Yang. Shadow and light," Bu Yeon said serenely. "Together at last. Yeong, there was someone staring at you,"
Bu Yeon abrupt way didn't surprise her, this is just the way she is.
Turning around, Cho Yeong's eyes met the stranger's gaze. Even from afar, she could feel how deep his eyes were, as deep as the lake at night.
"His energy is strong, rushing freely through his veins. His gate of energy is not sealed," Bu Yeon pointed out.
'His gate of energy is not sealed'
Cho Yeong's heart seemed to stop as clarity came crashing down on her in cold waves.
Everyone in Daeho knows that since he was born, Jang Uk's gate of energy has been sealed by his own father.
Cho Yeong remembered that one winter he almost died. His gate of energy opened only enough so he could live. But extreme cold or heat could kill him. It was especially hard that day, the coldest day of the season, and he was bedridden with fever. She could still hear his ragged breath and how icy cold his hands were as she grasped it tightly.
The stranger -no- the mage that was sitting in front of her was not Jang Uk.
Cho Yeong watched with narrowed eyes as he took a sip of his yuja tea, whilst her hands deftly twirled a knife. With a flick of her wrist, she let the knife sail through the air to her intended target.
As expected, her target calmly sipped his tea, only slightly moving his head to the side as the knife sailed past his ear and embedded into the wall behind him. Joo Wol would not like this.
“Did you invite me here to kill me, Agassi?” the mage put down his cup on the table and raised his head to look at her. His dark eyes were unfathomable as he looked straight into her eyes.
Cho Yeong feigned surprise and put her hand on her chest, “How do I do it? I couldn't possibly kill a grown man,"
"Are you sure?" he said with a challenging tilt of his head. “I think it was something you could do," in a flash, he threw the empty cup on the table at her.
She deflected the cup, letting it clatter to the ground as she raised to her feet. Between them was a table and in one leap, he narrowed the distance between them. He tried to grab her hand and she reached to grab his arm in turn. Finding purchase, she pushed energy to her hand and twisted his arm, but he skillfully freed himself. It surprised her. That move should have incapacitated him. Her opponent is no ordinary mage.
Undeterred, she pivoted herself and grasped the collar of his robe. Her other hand freed the binyeo from her hair and aimed it at his jugular.
“Who are you? Why are you pretending to be Jang Uk? What do you want? Money? Power?” she asked.
He raised his brow, dark eyes sharpened. “They say Cho Yeong Agassi is a gentle lady who spends her time cultivating flowers and reading the stars. But, you are not that simple, aren’t you?”
“I’m the one who asks questions here,” she seethed. “Answer me if you want to live,"
“Are you sure about that?” his lips curled into a smirk, as she felt a knife pressed to her side.
She glared and pressed her binyeo to his skin, drawing thin beads of blood. "Then let's stab each other and see who died first,"
He chuckled, the audacity. "How violent. Guess they were wrong about you being a gentle lady,"
"You-
"Agassi! Agassi!" with that loud scream, the door to the room was thrown open. "Agassi? Dolyeonnim? What are you doing?"
"Are my clothes ready, So-i?" she composed herself. Her head turning to look at So-i, who looked as confused as she sounded.
So-i nodded. "Yes Agassi, Joowol-nim is waiting for you,"
"Good. I will be there in a moment,"
"Agassi, Dolyeonnim," So-i bowed her head to them and took her leave. But not before making eye contact with Yeong, questions were palpable there. She shakes her head and mouthed later.
After the door closed, she turned her attention back to the man in front of her.
"You're in luck," she withdrew her hand and took a step away from him. "I don't have time to deal with you right now. A bit of advice though, whatever you think you will get by pretending to be Jang Uk, you will not get it. I will make sure of that,"
She walked out of the room without looking back at him. She had more urgent matters to attend to.
"Agassi," Joo Wol bowed her head when she saw her, in her hands was a tray holding red cloth, while So-i was holding a veiled hat. "Everything is ready,"
The air tonight is pleasant, filled with the fragrance of newly bloomed flowers. The winter is over.
Cho Yeong stood on the ledge of the roof, hiding in the shadow. The wind gently fluttering the veil from her veiled hat. This high, she could see everything that happened below. Including her target, the soul shifter.
She gripped the white sword tightly in her hands, ready to use it at a moment of notice. This is the only thing she left of her father. The day her father died, the fire burn everything, except for her and this sword.
Her eyes caught the movement of her target. Swiftly, she began to follow him, giving chase as he ran.
He led her to the abandoned temple. She had a bad feeling that was soon to be proven to be right.
Men in black robes descent upon her. She gritted her teeth. She was surrounded.
It was a trap.
"Naksu, this is the day you died," stood there as the men making way for him was Gil-ju, Jin Mu right-hand man. It doesn't surprise her that Jin Mu had something to do with the increase in soul shifter's attacks. She always had suspicion, but nothing to prove it.
"Do you know why they call me Naksu?" she stated, voice monotonous and cold, not at all threatened by these men's presence. "It's because wherever I go, head will fall to the ground. Soon, yours would join them too," with that declaration, she decapitated the soul shifter and watched as his body petrified.
Gil-ju growled. "Kill her!"
Cho Yeong raised her sword and moved it in an arch, sending the one who tried to attack her, flying. She stabbed and slashed anything that came close to her. Blood dripping down onto the earth, turning the soil red.
She felt someone sidling up beside her, pulling her in an embrace as a sword came bearing down to where her head was. The man holding her parried the attack and flicked energy with his sword, hitting her attacker on the chest, killing him.
For a second, no one moves, entranced by the newcomer.
She tilted her head to see the man clearly. He wore a dark blue hanbok that almost looked black in the backdrop of the night and a blue cloth covered his lower face. He looked familiar...
Her eyes caught movement to her right. Her instinct takes over. She braced herself against the man, pulling him along as she spun and stabbed one of the men in the chest. Letting go, she gathers the energy in the air and flicks it with her sword, sending more men down.
In the clashing of steel, groan of dying men, blood that splattered on their skin, they performed a dance, a deadly dance she never did with anyone else, leaving only two of them and Gil-ju standing.
From the side, Gil-ju was running toward her at full speed, ready to cut her down. She raised her sword to block. Catching the blade, she imbued her sword with energy and pushed, forcing him to take a step back. Energy zipped past her head and pierced through Gil-ju shoulder, sending him on his knees.
Her steps unhurried as she stalked closer to him. Her hand lifted the blood-stained veil that covered her face, letting him see the person that would kill him, a courtesy he didn’t deserve. “How did you make a soul shifter? Is it the ice stone? How did you get it?” Jin Bu-yeon said it had been missing for years. Could it have been in Jin Mu’s hands all along?
"Cho Chung's daughter," he spat, swaying dangerously to the side. “Don't you want to know what happened to your father?"
"He died,” she gritted her teeth and crouched down beside him. Her hand lay over his wounded shoulder, gripping it hard.“Now answer my questions,"
He cried out, eyes filled with hatred. "Don't you know he was a soul shifter?”
"What did you say?”
Gil-ju laughed, a choked, hoarse sound of a dying man. “He was the one who killed your entire family! The fire is just a cover-up. Your family didn't die in the fire. They died in your father's hands,"
"Abeoji? Impossible- she faltered. Her breath turned ragged as she remembered the strange thing her maid said that night.
'Agassi, if you see your father, run. Don’t let him catch you,'
“Poor Cho Chung, exploited and left to die,” Gil-ju taunted. “Now you know the truth, prepare to- Gil-ju's words turned into a scream as the man struck his hand, an object fallen from his grasp.
"Soul ejector," the man said. He crouched down to take it from the ground. He lifted it, and she saw an orb filled with black powder. His voice sounded familiar, and she realized who it was.
"You!"
The imposter pulled down the cloth that covered his mouth and smirked. "Agassi,"
“Traitor! Danju wouldn't let you live!" Gil-ju coughed up blood.
"Danju? It's Jin Mu, isn't it? Was he the man who shifted my father's soul?" she grabbed the collar of his robe and shake him. "Answer me!"
"Jin Mu isn't the real Danju. That's the only thing you need to know," Gil-ju spat before his attention turned to the imposter. "Jin Mu is the one who got you in your place now! He will know of this betrayal!"
"He didn't get me anywhere. I'm in my rightful place," the imposter stated, his eyes cold. Before she could react, he stabbed Gil-ju in the heart. "You could tell Jin Mu when you met him in hell,"
"He's seen us. No one could know our identity," he explained as he turned to look at her, blood splattered across his face like he was some god of vengeance.
She raised to her feet, wary but also curious. Now that they were not in danger of getting hurt, her mind made a connection of why he looked familiar and the blood she smell that night. "Draped in blue, scarf covering your lower face, sword. You are Hwisu, the soul reaper,"
“And you are Naksu,” he said, “The huntress,”
“Who the hell are you?"
“I will tell you everything. But- he sheathed his sword and stepped closer to her. His dark eyes, determined and sharp, looking at her intently -there is something I need to show you first,”
Danhyanggok, the place he led her to, is Danhyanggok.
Cho Yeong knew this place like the back of her hand. She could find her way around this place, blind and deaf.
Fireflies lit their ways and owls sang their hauntingly beautiful song as they walked through the forest.
But, she can't find any of this pretty, not after hearing about her father. All these years, no one ever told her the truth. She felt numb and betrayed, if what Gil-ju said was the truth, how could they hide it all from her?
Lost in her own thoughts, she didn't realize he was stopping, her head bumping to his broad back.
"Ouch!" she rubbed her head and raised her head to protest. But word failed her, it died down on her tongue, swallowed back into her throat and settled heavily in her heart. In front of them was a tree. The tallest tree in Danhyanggok, where you can see the entire place by standing on top of it. She and Uk used to play a lot in this place, running away from boring lessons.
"You are still as clumsy as ever, Yeong-ah," he said softly, the familiar way he called her name made her bristle.
"You can't call me like that," she snapped. "We are not close and will never be close,"
"Remember when we used to play here?"
"If this is your idea to convince me that you are Jang Uk, you better stop. You are an imposter. I think it's time for you to admit what we already know and tell me who the hell are you,” she was getting frustrated.
He didn't seem to hear her. His gaze trained on the tree and a smile she had never seen on his face before, bloomed on his lips. It was warm and genuine as opposite to the wry smile she was accustomed to. "We used to climb this tree- a chuckle escaped his mouth -well it's mostly you, the best climber in Daeho,”
“What?" How did he-
“The summer before I went missing, you fell from this tree. I caught you and got stitches on my arm, courtesy of the knife in your hand,"
Cho Yeong felt her heart skip a beat, no one knew about that. They swore themselves to secrecy. Is he-
"Master Heo knew we didn't tell him the truth, but we were adamant it was what happened. That a branch pierced my arm, not a knife, your knife,"
For a moment, she could only stare at him. It doesn't feel real. Shakily, she reached to pull up his sleeves. There, between the expanse of pale skin and litter of scars, was a jagged raised skin in the exact shape as her knife. The knife that now resides under her clothes.
She looked up at him, to the small smile gracing his lips. "If you are still not convinced, I will tell you about one of my promises. I promise to bring you up to the top of this tree. That one day we will stand there and prove to the world that we can do it,"
No one else knows about that except Jang Uk, so it means he was... He was...
Her sight got blurry, and she realized she had been crying, tears fell freely from her eyes, a flood of emotions she kept buried inside her heart all these years.
He pulled her into a hug and whispered gently on top of her hair. "I'm sorry it took me so long to come home,"
"Uk," she called. She was a blubbering mess. Her tears keep falling. Relief, guilt, happiness all rolled into one. She gripped him tighter. "I'm sorry i didn't recognize you,"
"I intend for that to happen," Uk pulled away slightly and used his thumb to wipe her tears away. "Jin Mu need to think that I'm not a real Jang Uk and that he did me a favor by claiming I was the real one. Your animosity towards me is a good thing,"
"I'm still sorry. I should have known," she said, her eyes drinking the sight of him. "So, you didn't lose your memory? Why didn't you come home? Where are you all this time?"
Uk sighed. “I can’t go back home, Yeong. Not until I’m strong enough. This is my atonement,”
“So, you became Hwisu? To atone? For what?” she asked.
"The day I went missing, I met Jin Mu. He said he would open my gate of energy if I brought something from my father's room for him. I stupidly agreed, and after he got what he wanted, he pushed me to the river,"
“The thing that you gave Jin Mu, is it the ice stone?"
"Yes," he replied, his eyes hardened. "That's why he could make that many soul shifter,” he lowered his head in shame. “It’s all my fault,”
"It wasn't your fault. He was taking advantage of you, tempting you with what you desired the most," she seethed, angry on his behalf. Her hand raised to cup his cheek, letting their eyes meet. "This is all Jin Mu's fault, and he will pay for what he did to you, to my father, to people. And after, we will find who the real Danju is and make them pay too,"
"Still so bossy," he commented. A small, teasing smile appeared on his lips.
Yeong huffed and rolled her eyes. "What? You don't like it," she was about to let go, when he caught her hand and pressed it more firmly against his cheek.
His smile turned a little melancholic. "I miss you so much,"
"I miss you too," she replied, giving him her own small smile. "I'm glad you are here now,”
“I’m glad I’m here with you," he caressed her hand gently before letting it go.
Comfortable silence settled between them, she could stay like this for a long time, staring at each other. She knew she stared at him a lot when she thought he was an imposter, trying to uncover his lies. But, this time she lookrd at him and saw Jang Uk, her best friend.
"How did you become Naksu?" Uk broke the silence by asking. She could tell he was curious.
"Two weeks after you went missing, your father gave me my family heirloom, the sword I use now- she raised her hand and shook her sword lightly -he said the only way I’m allowed to go with him to search for you is if I could defeat him. I train hard and part of my training is to go after soul shifter -oh no, why did she bring up his dad? Their relationship is complicated…
“So, Uk, how did you survive after falling to the river?" she asked. From the rise of his brow, he must know this was her tactic to change the subject from his father. She shrugged sheepishly and he snorted.
"You don't need to do that. I made peace about my father long ago," he said as he patted her head. "The fishing crew saved me and I stayed with them for three months before I met my teacher, the hemp master. He opened my gate of energy and taught me,"
"So you didn't lie when you said you were a fisherman," she said cheekily.
"Well, part of my training is to fish a golden fish from lake Gyeongcheondaeho, so I guess I am a fisherman,"
"Your master must have been great. Is he in the fortress? I want to thank him," she said earnestly. “Invite him to the house. He deserved the treat of eating Kim Do Joo heavenly acorn jelly,”
"He will be here in a week," he told her. "I will introduce you to him. But first, now we are here- he cocked his head towards the tree -Let me fulfill one of my promises to you," a bright smile playing across his lips as he offered his hand to her. "Let me bring you up to the top of the tallest tree in Danhyanggok,"
"I could do it myself now, but fine. Bring us up, Jang Uk," she chuckled and reached for his hand, interlacing their fingers together.
"As you wish, Agassi,"