|Prologue|

“Nobody knows how the legend was created, whether it is just myth or a true story is of no consequence, but it’s a tale that has been told and retold many times –passed down from generation to generation as a folk tale. Would you like to hear it as well? Okay here we go …”

A long, long time ago there were four godly brothers, borne from the God of the Sea (Hae Shin) and the Goddess of the Sky. These brothers were the North God (Buk Shin), South God (Nam Shin), West God (Seo Shin) and East God (Dong shin), each commanders of the sea and it creatures along with sky and possessing thrones under the sea their name designated. Buk Shin’s throne lying in the depths of North Sea (Buk Hae; Lake Baikal), Nam Shin’s in the South Sea (Nam Hae; South China Sea), Seo Shin’s in the West Sea (Seo Hae; the Indian Ocean) and Dong Shin’s in the East Sea (Dong Hae; Sea of Japan or East China Sea).

Just as they possessed great power, it also burdened them with great responsibility in that they were never to use their powers for personal gain.

Although they were beings of the non-corporal form, they were able to take a human, corporal form when they wished to walk the earth among the humans. Among the four, the maknae, Dong Shin who possessed the most attractive corporal form chose to walk the earth as frequently as possible, fascinated by the humans that inhabited.

His trips, even though harmless to him, began diming his Godly traits and giving him emotions and humanly traits that a god should never possess. One day as he rose to the surface on one of his trips, he came across a woman with a blindingly beautiful soul swimming in his ocean and battling to stay afloat as waves much bigger than she could handle pulled her helplessly further into the sea. In a show of mercy, he calmed the waves and carried her safely back to shore.

From then on his trips were driven by the desire to see her again and learn more about her, unable to understand why one could have such a good, pure and untainted soul that burned brightly at her age when many others dimmed as they grew older. His enchantment by her and curiosity eventually lead to loving her.

Unfortunately for him, his realization came too late and she had fallen for another, planning for her wedding. The deep, uncontrollable love he’d developed for the precious woman, eventually lead him down a deadly path of anger, hate and jealousy. Driven by the three deadly emotions, he took the chance when it arose to send a deadly tempest toward a ship he knew his love’s betrothed was travelling on, capsizing it and killing everybody on board.

His action of course broke one of the most important laws gods abided by, as the tempest was conjured for personal gain being the death of a man that would enable him to win his love’s heart. As punishment, he was stripped of his immortality and banished from his kingdom to live among the mortals. Cursed to be reborn over and over through his future sons until a time he forsakes his humanity and his status restored.

The offspring that possess the power his corporal form possessed, that is superior intelligent, immunity from disease, quick regeneration from injury, enhanced senses and inhuman strength, speed, agility, are regarded as the fallen god’s attempt at returning to his rightful throne and position. And, are therefore, referred to as Dong Bang Shin Ki (Rising God’s of the East).

“And that ladies and gentlemen is the story of Dong Bang Shin Ki. But what if this wasn’t just a story…”