먼저 : The Blushing Prince

By the time Jong Dae turned thirteen, his curiousity about the unseen village and kingdom grew greater than before. 

He wanted to go into the kingdom and discover what was in it. 

His dream was to meet the great King of the Lotus Kingdom one day. 

Everyday he would bother Grandmother Yeon and ask her to take him out but she would always end up telling the little prince some ridiculious story in order to keep him away. Those "scary" stories kept the boy quiet for a couple of days before he starts to ask again. Long before his curiosity turned into endless questions, Grandmother Yeon had made a promise with Hae Myung to never let him near the village — even if he wanted too. The little prince's questions didn't start until one day, when the village celebrated a birthday in honor of the King's best general, Han Mu Seon from returning from a successful war. The villagers celebrated so loud that night that their cheers and joy reached the little quiet hanok house on the outskirts of the town. 

It was also the same night that Jong Dae exploded with many questions about the village as well as the people that lived in it. Even the wisewoman could not find the words to tell him and instead laughed at his little questions. How could such a small little boy have so many questions about the village and beyond? Jong Dae also asked his older brother for answers whenever he came but wasn't able to get any answers as well. The only thing the little prince was told that the village is a scary place filled with monsters and bad people but that lead to even more questions. 

A couple days later Grandmother Yeon decided to take Jong Dae to the village to do some light shopping to stop his constant chatter. Besides, just one little trip won't hurt him. Grandmother Yeon held her wooven basket in one hand and Jong Dae's in the other. They strolled down the path from the grassy hills towards the forest that would lead to the village that the little prince was waiting to see. As they neared, Jong Dae's eyes widen at the sight of the liveliness and the wisewoman couldn't help but laugh at his expression. 

"Jong Dae," Grandmother Yeon called to him. 

"Yes, grandmother?" He answered.

"When we get into the village, don't let go of my hand, okay?" She told him. "I don't want to lose you."

Turning to look up at the wisewoman, the little prince chirped out a "Yes!" and gave her a big smile to show how excited he was! As they entered the entrance to the village, Jong Dae was so surprised to see so many people at once. Most of the villagers were strolling around shops and bargaining, trying to get a good decent prince on an item. Decorations from the birthday a few nights ago were still hanging up, and the little prince was amazed to see such colorful ones. People throughout the village greeted the wisewoman as she walked by, looking at the items that each vendor had laid out for sale. Although she didn't visit the village often, the villagers always respected her for her powers and always presented her with many gifts in exchange for her wise words. 

As they walked through the shops, Jong Dae spotted a tiny little shop in a quiet corner selling candies to little kids. They all gathered around and showed one another at which one they wanted. The little prince couldn't help but smile and wanted to join the fun. Grandmother Yeon and Jong Dae stopped at a small vendor that was selling different colors of thread and sewing needles. 

"Grandmother!" Jong Dae called to her. 

"Hmm?" She hummed, looking over her shoulders. "What is it, my child?"

"Can I go to that shop over there?" The little prince pointed. "They're selling candy and I want one!"

The wisewoman laughed at his words and nodded. 

"Alright, don't go off too far," she told him, handing him a couple of coins. "Come right back to me when you buy a candy you like, okay?"

Jong Dae nodded happily and turned to skip towards the candy stall. As the little prince neared, he could hear the cheerful ring of their happy voices after recieving their delicious candy. There were boys and girls of all ages, surrounding the stall trying to get their pieces as the candy maker rushed to make more of the candy to satisfiy the kids' sweet tooth. Standing on his tiptoes, the little prince was able to catch of glimpse of the candy before falling onto his as other childrens pushed him aside to get their share of candy. 

"Ouch, that hurts..." He mumbled. 

"Are you okay?"

Jong Dae looked up to see two faces looking down at him. One was a little girl in a light blue hanbok with half of her hair up in a small bun adorned with flowers and the other was a little boy in black clothing with long hair and bangs that fell over his eyes, making him appear mysterious. The girl held two sticks of the popular candy in her hands and the mysterious boy held just one. The girl nudged the boy standing next to her in t