Spring, Year 1875

 

 

“Haneul! Are you almost ready, dear?”

 

“Almost, mother,” Haneul replied calmly from her place in front of her vanity mirror, “Soomi just has to finish with my hair,” she added, referring to the young maid standing behind her, currently twisting her dark locks into an elegant up do.

 

Her mother nodded and replaced Soomi to finish her daughter's hair. She smiled proudly at Haneul's reflection in the mirror. “Such a beautiful daughter I have. Your father would be so proud if he could see you now. Are you excited for the party? I'm sure with your looks, we'll find a good husband for you in no time.”

 

Haneul merely scoffed at this, “Please mother, I hardly think my looks are anything to brag about.”

 

“What are you talking about, dear? Look at yourself, you're lovely!”

 

Haneul did look at herself, but all she could see were imperfections. Her eyes; too large for her tiny face, making her resemble an insect. And her skin, a ghostly pale colour that made her seem as if she were always sick. Finally, her skinny body that lacked many of the curves that a woman should have. She looked away from herself in disgust.

 

Seeing this, her mother frowned, “My dear, stop being vain. Now come, the party's already started.”

 

Haneul nodded and followed her through the hallways of her large house. Before they could enter, Haneul's mother stopped in front of a pair of large doors, behind which they could hear the sounds of chattering and glasses clanking. She turned to her daughter and looked her in the eye, “Remember, dear, to enjoy yourself. You have the only things in life worth having, youth and beauty.”

 

With that, she spread the doors wide and they were greeted by hundreds of party goers, all dressed in their finest suits and gorgeous gowns that almost touched the ground.

 

Eventually, Haneul lost sight of her mother and started mingling with the guests. She received many compliments, but she just smiled and thanked them even though she didn't believe it.

 

After a while Haneul got thirsty so she went to the refreshment table for a drink. However, when she got there, she just stared at the glasses awkwardly, unsure of which type to get. All they had was wine and since she didn't drink much, she seemed very lost.

 

Suddenly, a man came up next to her and grabbed a glass of white wine. Haneul was about to move and apologize for standing way, when he offered the glass to her, “Here, try this. It's sweet, I think you'll like it.”

 

She looked up in confusion at the unfamiliar man who was smiling at her. He was very handsome and tall, with sleek dark hair. She gave him a small polite smile and hesitantly took the glass from his hand. He nodded and took a glass for himself, but made no move to walk away. He took a gulp of his drink and then turned back to look at Haneul expectantly.

 

She had a feeling that he wouldn't leave until she tried it, so she reluctantly took a sip from her glass. He was right, it was sweet and better than the other wine that she had tasted in the past, but she still disliked any type of alcohol. She tried not to show it though, and gave him a tight-lipped smile as she struggled to swallow the liquid.

 

He still saw her reaction though, and chuckled. He opened his mouth to comment, but her mother spotted them and spoke to the man, “Donghae! It's nice to see you! I haven't seen you in, I think, 8 years now? And you honestly look exactly the same, though I have no idea how, Anyway, I see you've met my daughter, Haneul,” she smiled warmly.

 

Donghae smiled at Haneul, “Ah, well I have but we haven't been properly introduced yet,” He bowed politely at her and reached out his arm, “My name is Lee Donghae. It's nice to meet you, my lady,” he took her tiny hand in his and brought it to his lips.

 

She curtsied, “Thank you, my lord. My name is Song Haneul.”

 

“Oh, I'm not a lord, please just call me Donghae,” he said quickly, giving her a dazzling smile.

 

“Of course. Donghae, then,” she replied with a charming smile of her own.

 

He turned to the girl's mother, “You have such a beautiful daughter, you should be proud.”

 

Haneul blushed at his compliment. Her mother smiled at her with pride in her eyes, “Of course I am, she's the apple of my eye. Anyway, I have to go greet some more guests. Take care of her for me, would you?” She asked playfully, giving them both a mischievous wink before she swept off and got lost in the crowd.

 

Haneul groaned inwardly, “Sorry for my mother, I think she wants me to be more social. You don't have to stay with me if you don't want to.”

 

Donghae laughed, “Nonsense, of course I'll stay with you. If you haven't noticed, I've been watching you since you came in. This is the perfect chance to get to know you. Shall we go somewhere?”

 

She looked at him in surprise, why would he be watching her when there were so many other dashing ladies who could have captured his attention? However, she didn't ask and suggested the garden. He agreed enthusiastically and they made their way to the door.

 

Haneul breathed in the fresh air contentedly when they stepped outside. It had been very stuffy and crowded with all the people.

 

They walked through the rose garden silently and Haneul contented herself with looking up at the full moon and bright stars.

 

“So, Donghae,” she started, not looking away from the sky, “How do you know my mother? She said she saw you 8 years ago.”

 

“Actually, I was a friend of your father. We met through him,” he replied.

 

Haneul looked at him in surprise, “My father? But he died before I was born! You hardly look old enough to have known him very well.”

 

Donghae winked at her, “I'm a little older than I look.”

 

She just looked at him in confusion. He looked like he was in his mid-twenties, just a few years older than her 18 year old self. He must have been a child when her father died!

 

“Did you know him well?” She asked, trying to make sense of things.

 

“Yes, actually, we were best friends. I'm sure I have a picture of us together in my studio somewhere.”

 

“Exactly how old are you, if you don't mind me asking?”

 

He hesitated for a moment then chuckled, “Don't you know it isn’t polite to ask someone that?”

 

Haneul rolled her eyes playfully, “It's not polite to ask a woman that, and as far as I can tell, you are not a woman. Though, I do suppose that your features are a bit feminine...”

 

Donghae gasped in mock hurt, “Excuse me? Okay, now you're asking for it...”

 

He then proceeded to chase her playfully through the maze of roses. Haneul giggled at his antics, she was wearing a long purple dress with heels and obviously couldn't run very fast, but he managed to make it seem like he was tired and couldn't catch her.

 

Eventually they reached a bench and Donghae doubled over and panted as if he were exhausted, “Okay, I give up, you're too fast for me. Can we sit here for a bit?”

 

“Fine, I guess if you can't keep up...”

 

He rolled his eyes and sat on the bench, Haneul joining shortly after. They ended up staring at the full moon for a while.

 

“You're beautiful.”

 

Haneul started and looked over at him. She realized that he hadn't been looking at the moon, but instead had been staring intently at her.

She gave him a doubtful look, “I've heard that many times, but I've yet to believe it.”

 

He tilted his head, “What is there not to believe? You're stunning."

 

She just chuckled humorlessly and went back to looking at the moon.

 

"What, you don't believe me? I'll show you. I didn't tell you about my profession did I? I'm an artist. A painter. You have to let me paint you, I'm sure you'll change your mind if you see yourself through someone else's eyes."

 

She raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure?"

 

He nodded, "I'm sure you'll be the star of my collection. Deal?" He held out his hand for her to shake.

 

Haneul sighed and took his large hand in her much smaller one, "Fine, it's a deal."

 

"Good..."

 

She could have sworn that his eyes changed colour for a moment from warm brown to a vivid emerald green... Then he blinked and his eyes were back to normal. She frowned, maybe it was the wine starting to get to her.