~Eunji's POV~

Rows of markets were open and delicious scents filled the air as I walked in the streets. Crowded was an understatement. It was over populated. There were farmers selling their crops, women selling bidan (silk) and children running around with sticks playing sword fights.

All was peaceful until a sharp scream cut through the air and broke the harmony of market. I had an urge to check it out. It might give me clues about my duty here. I quickened my pace and entered the alleyway only to be greeted by a disgraceful sighting :bandits were forcefully taking children away from their hopeless parents. Seeing this made me lose it. Duty or not, they were going to pay.

"What on earth are you doing?" I said angrily at the Bandits.

"Agasshi (young (wealthy) lady), stay out of this." One of the three bandits said mockingly. He seemed to be a little tipsy.

"Why are you taking these children away?" I raised my voice.

"If their parents can't pay their taxes, this is what happens." Another one said. They weren't bandits but landlords of this house and these children were being taken away to pay off their parents as slaves.

I stood there helplessly and feeling useless.

"Wait," I said when the landlords were about to put the children into the wooden carriages.

"I'll pay their taxes and you let them go," I decided. The landlords stopped moving and put on a mischievous grins on their faces, and the drunk one stopped swirling the makgeolli bottle in his hands.

"I'm starting to get hungry. How about a lunch before you pay us the money?"

"Fine then. Lunch and money. How does that sound?"

Then the children were released from the landlords' hands and ran into their parent's arms.

"Thank you so much my lady." The parents said as the bowed down to the floor. I knelt down to reach them and held the mother's hands. They were stiff and dry. I quickly grabbed my money pouch and took out all of the money and wrapped her hands around it.

"Don't let them take your love ones again." I said with a smile.

"Aren't you coming?" the landlords said farther ahead. "I'm as hungry as a bear! I could eat anything!"

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~A few moments later~

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"Burrrp!" One of the landlords burped after digging his face in fried rice.

"So, for the tax," the other one started. "just give us your whole money bag." the drunk one finished.

I handed them my whole money bag to the chief. They looked inside and their disgusting smiles disappeared from their even more disgusting faces.

"And.. the money?"

Silence filled the air. My heart started pounding.

"WHERE'S THE MONEY!"

I tried to keep relatively calm.

"It's in there. What are you talking about?"

"THEY ARE ROCKS! NOT MONEY!" the three shouted at the same time.

They started walking towards me with big heavy steps and made me walk backwards. I was pretty stuffed.

"Get her." the chief said, and with that they started running after me like crazy wild animals.

As they were running, they took out a ragged bag, just big enough to fit a body. A body, which could possibly end up being me.

I ran and ran as fast as my legs could take me. But my gomushin (traditional shoes that look like flats) weren't helping. There were already blisters on my heels.

I couldn't believe that they were trying to abduct me in the middle of daylight.

I quickly turned around to take a look. The landlords were not far behind and catching up really fast. At this rate, I would get caught. I decided to go into an alley and hide. I couldn't take it anymore. My heart beated so fast that I could hear it in my head. This was my only chance.

I entered the alleyway and stopped. There was a big brick wall standing tall and proudly. It was a blocked end. I shouldn't have trusted my brain.

"There's no where else to go. Agasshi," the drunkard said mockingly.

I stumbled backwards and felt my back go against the brick wall. They tied a cloth around my mouth to prevent me from screaming, and they tied my hands behind my back with a thick rope. My body started shivering and tears formed in my eyes.

"Now, what to do with you." the other said teasingly.

"We could steal her other possessions," the tallest of them said.

"We could slave her, and make her my bride," the drunkard smirked at the thought.

And after forever-lasting five seconds, the chief ordered: "Strip her"

I started screaming and screaming for anyone who could possibly be out there, but no one seemed to hear me.

Eventually, they took off my hanbok and left me helpless on the gravel with only my undergarment to cover my body. I stared at the ground as I gave up struggling against them. There was nothing I could do now. It was all over.

"Pretty amusing, what you fools go around doing to helpless citizens," a voice started talking. A voice which did not belong to any of the three criminal landlords. A man clothed in dark blue and black was sitting on top of the brick wall.

"Amusing... and retarded."

As soon as the voice finished his last sentence, the mysterious man jumped down from his seat and landed right in front of me as if to protect me.

"Now gentlemen, I suggest you move out of the way because I don't feel like fighting today." the young man who flew down said as he pulled out his sword.

"What's this? Your hubby?" the landlord holding the dagger in his hands, joked.

But before that joke could be acknowledged, the two swords clashed against each other in the sunlight.

Despite the fact that it was three to one, the strange man fought exceptionally well and soon, saw blood on the tip of his sword. And that was enough to scare the shameless landlords away.

"You must be a goongnyeo (maid of honour). What were you doing out here all by yourself?" the young man asked with his mask still on, covering his face and his identity.