Act 1a

Journey Home

They kept running and running, crossing the field, with him holding her hand.

Dong Joo had never felt so free in her life, not even when she was released from the gisaeng house.

And that was also because of the person who held her hand tightly.

The man whom she gave her heart.

When she saw him in the room, she thought she was dreaming.

She remembered how badly wounded Nok Du was, he even passed out on her arms. She didn’t dare to wish he was still alive. Her decision to follow Lord Yulmu was her last hope Nok Du could be saved.

During her captivation, she couldn’t stop thinking about him.

She still had hope Nok Du was alive.

And then, days gone by and her hope was wearing thin.

Dong Joo didn’t know how she would continue her life without him by her side.

Yulmu did visit her every day, day and night, she preferred the night time because she could pretend to be sleeping and didn’t have to act like she wanted to be with him.

She finally said what she felt the other day, about sincerity to someone was not an easy thing to do.

When they finally stop running, Dong Joo saw a boat and without saying a word, Nok Du hopped on the boat and lit the lantern before offering his hand to her.

Dong Joo smiled and held his hand while carefully stepped on the boat, settling herself. She looked around, noticing two bundles and some necessities before asking, “Where are we going?”

“Does it matter? You said you’ll follow me anywhere,” Nok Du teased.

She narrowed her eyes. “Not that. What I mean is, at least I could prepare myself to where we will be going.”

Her man chuckled. “Don’t worry. I already prepared everything.” And then, he stood tall and looked over the dark sky. “The wind is on our side. We’ll arrive in the island by dawn.”

Dong Joo blinked. “Island?”

“Yes, the countryside where I came from,” Nok Du answered cheekily.

“Oh…” She, too, looked at the dark sky. “How do you know about the wind? I only see darkness.”

“I can teach you to feel the wind,” he said and took his pink jacket, covering Dong Joo. “The wind can be friendly, but it can be harsh in the middle of the ocean,” he explained.

Dong Joo felt her heartbeat quickened, mostly when Nok Du smiled gently. She watched him pulled the rope and began to navigate the boat, sailing away from the pier. Dong Joo stared at the land in front of her, feeling grateful and odd Yulmu’s people didn’t come after them. From this moment, Hanyang would only be a memory. She already decided even then, she would never return to her family’s house.

When she thought about family, she suddenly remembered about her new family.

“How about the others? Are they…”

“They are fine. They are waiting for you in the island. The widows, Yeon Geun, my master, Aeng Du, my brother, and my father.”

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