‘Hyuk ah, don’t run. It’s dangerous’. Yun ho ran after his child.

It had been 12 years since the day they met the woman in red. They seldom thought of her. It was Hyuk’s birthday today. They had come to the temple to offer their prayers to the god. They visited the place every year, hoping to meet the woman in red. But they never saw her again. The people in the temple had never heard of her as well. They were worried about the mark of death on their child she had mentioned about.

‘Hyuk ah, listen to daddy. Don’t run’ the mother said.

Hyuk was a happy boy adored by his parents and teachers. He was good in his studies, respectful towards elders and had a charisma that attracted everyone towards him.

‘Mommy! Look. The flying lantern this year as well’. Hyuk pointed towards the sky. Indeed, they spotted the flying lantern this year as well. It was flying on the other side of the temple where no one ventured into.

He ran towards the other side of the temple. His parents tried to stop him from crossing the gates but in vain. He had gone into the gardens on the other side which was once part of the king’s palace. In his mindless run towards the lantern, Hyuk did not notice the steep slope ahead. It was too late. He tripped and was rolling down the slope and he was heading straight to the old unused fire torch.

He was going to be badly injured. He was about to hit his head when some one grabbed him with a force that momentarily burned in his skin. He caught a glimpse of a blue fire. He realised the heat was coming from the person who had caught him. Surprised, he looked at his saviour.

It was a handsome man in a long tan coat. He had a strange expression on his face.

‘Huh! Such a tacky looking hat’ the man clicked his tongue in disapproval looking at hyuk. Even after a lifetime your choices don’t change, he murmured. The man sighed and looked towards the sky and yelled as if talking to god, ‘Such a day even comes, you are just unbelievable!’.

‘you! Be careful of where you walk.’ He looked down and told hyuk. Hyuk was confused at the man’s sudden appearance and his immediate dislike towards the man though he had saved his life.

‘who are you ajusshi?’ Hyuk asked the man. The man raised his eyebrows and asked, ‘Me? I am your saviour.’ He said. ‘Well, not intentionally.’ He murmured to himself.

“Did you just come out of the unused temple? Hyuk asked the man pointing towards the open doors.

‘Yes. Now off you go. Your parents might be searching for you. And remove the hat. Why are you even wearing it in the winter? Are you still in practice of wearing a hat before heading out?’ The man clicked his tongue again and walked away towards the unused palace.

Hyuk was baffled at the man for mentioning his hat. He had always taken a liking towards hats and suits. And wondered why the mysterious ajusshi had spoken to hyuk as if he had known him. What a preposterous man thought Hyuk, though the man had saved his life, But still how could he be so disrespectful to someone he just met! Hyuk wondered.

Curious about the handsome man and the unused palace, Hyuk tried to follow the man. But the man was nowhere to be found. Creeping inside, he saw lamps lit ahead, what looked like some memorial stones for the dead. There were many names written there. But two stones were placed higher than the others which caught his attention.

Walking towards it, he read, ‘Kim sun’. His heart raced at the name, he grew breathless and pain shot towards his head. His vision blurred. He glanced towards the name written next to Kim Sun, before he could read out the name aloud, he fell on the ground unable to bear the pain in his head. He had fainted.

When Hyuk opened his eyes, he was lying on a bench by the park. He slowly recollected his memories. His mother’s face poured over him. She was very worried.

‘Hyuk ah. Are you okay? What happened? I told you to not go in there. You never listen to me’.

As if digging some part of his memory, he recalled the name he had read before fainting. Wang yoo. Why did his head hurt so much when he read it? Why did he become breathless? Who was the man who had saved him earlier? What was his connection to this palace? He wondered.