Once upon a time, a small drop of moonlight fell from above and in the place in which it landed, a beautiful silver-colored Eustoma flower grew. This flower had many magical properties; it could heal the sick and injured, and it could restore youth to the elderly. Many thought this flower was a legend, but one person knew differently. Hong Jisoo would frequent the secluded spot, quietly singing the same song over and over while the flower restored his youth.

~~~~~

The Kingdom in which Jisoo lived was ruled by a beloved King and Queen. They were adored by everyone; and since they came into power there had not been a day that wasn’t filled with happiness. That was, until, the Queen who was expecting a child fell ill. For days doctors rushed in and out of the royal quarters in attempts to save the Queen - they tried everything they could to help the Queen and keep both her and her unborn child safe.

Eventually the Kingdom became so desperate for the recovery of one of their rulers that the royal court was bringing anyone who said they could help to the King and Queen. These people were useless in helping, so useless in fact that on several occasions the Queen’s illness seemed to be getting worse. They were almost out of hope when an ancient-looking man staggered through the castle doors, claiming he had an answer.

“You need to find the Eustoma flower,” the man said to the King, “you may not believe that it exists but as of right now it’s her only hope.”

The King wanted to say no, he wanted to tell the man to get out because he knew that the flower was all but a myth, but when his wife started coughing up blood he changed his mind.

“Do you know where the flower is located?”

“I know the area in which it is supposedly located, your highness.”

“Well then. Go. Take my men and find this flower. I can’t let my wife and child die, not like this.” The King ordered. As quickly as he had arrived, the old man was out of the door whilst being followed by some of the King’s most trusted men.

~~~~~

Jisoo made his way down the steep hill towards the alcove - the cloak of his hood up and hiding his face and a small lantern in his grip. He chuckled to himself when he arrived at the bush which hid the Eustoma flower from view. Jisoo knelt down and carefully reached to touch the plant whilst singing the song that activated its powers. He felt the moon’s magic wash through him and he felt the weariness that came from ageing dissipate out of him. His slightly greying hair returned to its natural black and the wrinkles that were beginning to appear at his eyes smoothed out, leaving Jisoo looking young once again.

Jisoo sat down a few feet from the plant and stared up into the night sky. “I should share your powers with others, I suppose,” he mused, “but I don’t want to. I suppose I’m quite selfish like that.” Jisoo wiggled his fingers and cracked them, getting rid of any remaining signs of age.

“Well I suppose I’ll see you in a few months.” Jisoo said. As he arose from his position he heard horses galloping in his direction. Quickly, he jumped up and hid behind a tree about thirty feet away from the bush.

Jisoo first noticed that these horses belonged to the Crown, judging from the moon emblem embellished on the armour. He then noticed that they were digging up the Eustoma and he gasped. Covering his mouth with his hand, Jisoo wondered why they needed the flower. Didn’t most in the kingdom believe that the flower was just a legend?

~~~~~

Jisoo got his answer a few days later. It turned out that the flower was ground up and made into a medicine for the ill Queen, and just 3 days after taking the medicine the Queen gave birth to a baby boy whom was named Junhui. The newborn Prince had beautiful silver hair to match the flower that was the reason he was able to be born. His hair possessed the very same healing and regeneration powers as the plant that gave him life, and to celebrate the birth of the new prince, the King and Queen lit a single lantern and released it into the night sky. It glowed and shone brightly for hours before it had been taken over the mountains; the entire kingdom was in celebration.

~~~~~

Around 3 months after Prince Junhui was born, Jisoo was desperate to have his youth returned to him. He had heard whispers from his few outings since the birth that the Prince’s hair possessed the same qualities as the Eustoma, and so he devised a plan to sneak into the castle and cut a lock of the Prince’s hair to keep.

That night, Jisoo entered the Prince’s chamber and began singing the song that allowed the magic to flow. As he was mid-song Jisoo took some scissors and cut a few inches of hair from the baby’s head. To Jisoo’s horror the chunk that he had cut turned ebony and the magic stopped restoring Jisoo’s youth. Jisoo looked at the strands of hair in his hand and dropped it into the bassinette. Without thinking, he picked up the small Prince and fled, taking him to his tower hidden deep in the forest.

The King and Queen awoke the next morning to find their precious son missing. The Queen sobbed and the King ordered every guard in his army to go and search for his son. They searched for months on end but Prince Junhui was never found. The King and Queen began to slowly lose hope, but still each year on their son’s birthday - the 10th June - they released hundreds upon hundreds of lanterns with the thought that maybe one day they would see their son again.