Kim Juhyeon never knew who her parents were. She was discovered at the doorstep of an orphanage wrapped in a white blanket with no note attached. Where she had come from was unknown; almost as if she had dropped from the sky. A kind and loving grandmother from the orphanage took her in and raised her up in a small little house along one of the quiet streets of Seoul. Juhyeon was 16 when the grandmother passed away. In the will, Juhyeon was given the little house and all of the grandmother’s savings and for two years, Juhyeon had been living a simple life all alone.

Little did she know that things would start getting a little more complicated just a week before her birthday.

. . .

“Ouch!” Juhyeon exclaimed when another paper ball came crashing into her head. It was the third one since the start of the lesson. “Oops! Sorry, I’m really bad at throwing,” apologized Woohyun, sarcasm very obvious in his tone. Flashing a smile, Juhyeon shook her head and told him that it was okay.

“Okay? Juhyeon, it’s the third one already! He’s obviously doing it on purpose. You can’t let him continue doing that to you!” scolded her seatmate and best friend, Haneul. As if on cue, the fourth paper ball came flying towards Juhyeon. “ONE MORE TIME AND I’LL MAKE SURE MY SHOE GOES FLYING TOWARDS THAT UGLY FACE OF YOURS,” hollered Haneul, glaring at Woohyun. If looks could kill, Woohyun would be dead in that instant.

“Haneul-ssi, can you please control yourself? It’s very rude to be interrupting my class,” the teacher said. Haneul gave a small nod as an apology. “You didn’t have to do that,” Juhyeon sighed. Haneul rolled her eyes and nudged Juhyeon in the elbow. “I wouldn’t have had to do it if you weren’t so nice to everyone.”

That was Juhyeon for you- kind-hearted, caring, pure and innocent. She never complained and was always optimistic, which was something Haneul couldn’t understand.

The final bell of the day went off and the two girls bid their goodbyes. “Are you sure you don’t want a lift home?” Haneul asked while getting into the car. Juhyeon shook her head. “I’m fine! I’ll see you tomorrow, take care!” With a final wave, Juhyeon watched as Haneul’s car disappeared into the distance before turning the other way to walk home.

Since she only worked during the long term breaks, Juhyeon didn’t like to waste her money on unnecessary things like transport since her house was only a ten minute walk away. As she made her way home, she felt unusually sleepy. “Maybe I’ll take a nap when I get home,” she mumbled to herself.

The sky was turning dark and Juhyeon quickened her pace, not wanting to get caught in the rain that threatened to fall.

. . .

“My dear, it’s lovely to finally be able to see you after all these years,” an angelic voice spoke. Juhyeon looked up and was faced with a beautiful lady with long, brown hair that flowed effortlessly down her shoulders and a smile so warm and welcoming. The lady was wearing a white dress that hugged her figure nicely and had a simple silver ring on the fourth finger of her left hand.

Without another word, the lady pulled Juhyeon into a tight embrace.

After pulling away, Juhyeon observed her surroundings and realised that she was in a very unfamiliar place. It was beautiful, nevertheless. They were in a park where butterflies danced among the beautifully coloured flowers and the sky painted a clear blue. She turned her attention back to the lady standing in front of her. “I’m sorry, but who are you?” she asked.

The lady chuckled softly and tucked a loose strand of hair behind Juhyeon’s ear. “I am your mother, silly. Of course, you wouldn’t remember me. You were only so young when we sent you away,” she said. Her voice seemed to echo throughout the area, as if they were in an enclosed hall. “M-mother?” Juhyeon muttered, not able to comprehend what this lady was saying.

“My king, Lord Taeyong,” the lady called out and Juhyeon turned around to be greeted by two men that looked about the same age as the lady, if not slightly older. One of them wore a white suit while the other wore black. The man in the white suit greeted the lady and placed a quick peck on her cheek. “Queen of Andelphia,” the man in the black suit greeted in a calm and well-mannered tone.

“Ah, I presume she is the one?”  Lord Taeyong enquired, scanning Juhyeon from head to toe. Juhyeon shivered under his look. He took her hand and brought it to his lips, placing a light peck on it. Juhyeon screamed out when her hand came into contact with his lips; it felt as if her hand had been thrown into fire. Quickly, the Queen pulled her back and wrapped her arms around Juhyeon protectively.

“How is she going to get married to your son when she burns the moment they touch?” she yelled in fury. Lord Taeyong let out a menacing chuckle and shook his head. “I am sure they will be able to find a solution to this problem by themselves.” The King raised an eyebrow and said, “And if they do not? I am having my doubts about this marriage, Lord Taeyong.”

A sinister smile spread across Lord Taeyong’s face. “If the marriage is cancelled, war shall continue. Our people shall continue fighting, suffering and living in fear every day. Millions shall continue spilling blood over our lands and the sound of crying children will not stop. The marriage is in a week and I am very sure our people are very excited over this event. If it were to be cancelled so suddenly, wouldn’t they be outraged?” he said.

Juhyeon was so confused. Marriage? War? Demon? Andelphia? What was going on?

With a sigh, the Queen’s hold around Juhyeon loosened. “The marriage will continue, Lord Taeyong. But we wish to seek your promise that your son will not harm our daughter in any way after they are married,” the King spoke. There was a short pause as Lord Taeyong thought about the request thrown out. Finally, he spoke. “Very well, then. I will inform my son about the conditions you have requested. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some matters to handle back home.” With that, he disappeared.

Juhyeon let out a gasp. “He disappeared! How is that even possible?” she exclaimed, looking at the King and Queen with wide eyes. The King smiled and gave her a light pinch on the cheek. “Our daughter is so adorable. Sadly, it’s time for you to go back now. We’ll see you again soon, love. Take care of yourself.”

Juhyeon’s eyelids flew open and she shot up from the bed, looking around frantically. She was in her room, where she had decided to take a nap before starting on her homework. She brought her hand up to survey it – no burn marks. “Just a very weird dream,” she uttered under her breath.

Dream? Oh no, this was far from a dream.