Dark clouds drifted through the sky occluding the last remaining ray of sunlight. Booming claps of thunder and lightning followed next. A slight drizzle of rain began to fall. In the midst of the storm a single bird flew through the sky seeming oblivious to the chaotic weather patterns around it. Its thick, dark red plumage glistened in the rain. Each of its wings bore an unrivaled majestic power. The bird had flown a great distance and though fatigue threatened its journey, it endured for the sole purpose of reuniting with its master.

The rain began to pour, beating down on the feathered creature until it gradually lowered its descent. The bird spread its wings, swooping down to land gracefully on its master’s shoulder. He stuck his leg out, bearing forth a drenched pouch. The man carefully untied the package and opened the wet cloth. He stuck two long fingers into it and gripped the reward in between his fingertips. He pulled the object out, lifting a simple gold banded ring into the air, examining it with the bright white light flashing in the sky.

The man lifted his arm and softly pet the bird’s head in acknowledgement and affection. A groan came from the body at the man's feet. He pulled out his sword once more, disappointed he hadn't gotten the job done just yet and his sword down, ending the pitiful soul's life once and for all. The phoenix bent its head, breathing fire all over the dead body.

“You did well,” the man spoke.

The bird replied with a low guttural screech and spread its wings once more, flying away. Then simultaneously with another clap of thunder, the man was gone.

It was another tedious day for Jin as the sole worker at the Kim household. Every day it was the same routine of washing clothes, cleaning the rooms, cooking the food, and doing the dishes. She was lucky she had the stamina to complete the laboring tasks or she would have been left out on the streets, forced to perform undesirable activities to survive.

Her shoulders ached from the increasing pile of laundry but Jin did not have the luxury of slowing down her pace. There were only a hundred things to do before the celebratory dinner that evening. The Kim’s eldest son had finally become a civil servant for the king. Jin was not entirely sure how that had occurred when one took into account the Kim’s son had never sat for the examination. It wasn’t her place to question it either and so she kept silent about the whole affair.

When the laundry was finished, she rang the water out of the fabric as much as she could and then put them all in a basket. Jin walked outside to the thin piece of rope she’d tied between two trees. The air was cool and thick with moisture from the previous day’s downpour, but luck was on her side for the sun's scorching rays were beaming down on the earth. Jin was also glad for the Kim’s stone courtyard situated in the back of the house, or her bare feet would have been soiled with mud.

“You there, servant girl!” her employer barked at her, as soon she had finished hanging the clothes and other linens to dry. Jin hurried over to Lady Kim and bowed low.

“What can I do for you, my lady?” she asked.

“Lord Kim is having a guest within an hour’s time. Prepare a meal and some tea and don’t forget about cleaning the house. The dinner party has been cancelled,” Lady Kim instructed.

Jin bowed once more and set out to cook the noontime meal. In the storeroom the Kim’s had a variety of different vegetables and deer meat. The food reserves had been stocked up for the celebration but Jin knew she couldn’t use all of it up. She wondered who this guest was when it occurred to her Lady Kim herself may not know either; to think that this guest resulted in the cancellation of the celebration was all the more mysterious. Anyone who invited themselves to the Kim’s usually informed the Lord and Lady a few days prior to arriving. In that time, Lady Kim would fret over things she had no business worrying for. Jin was the one that was required to clean the house, cook the food, and make the guest as comfortable as possible. Sometimes she caught herself thinking bitter thoughts about it all. She was the one to provide the services yet when the guest would leave, they would spread the news that Lady Kim was the most hospitable in all of Korea.

Jin prepared a stew along with freshly baked bread using the traditional stone oven. The Kim’s had it all, from stone courtyards to ovens. Lord Kim even had a carriage he used to go out into town. Jin marveled at the amount of wealth she was surrounded by. She could only imagine what it would be like to own that wealth for herself. She thought about the power she could possess.

“Jin, come here,” the Kim’s youngest son said, walking into the kitchen. Jin wiped her hands on a piece of cloth and bowed to the young master.

"What seems to be the matter, young master?" she asked.

“For god’s sake Jin, I told you to call me Jongin. Anyways, there's a piece of interesting gossip in town. I thought you ought to hear it because you haven't been to the markets to hear it today,” the boy grinned.

“Well, what is it?” she smiled back. Jin often kept track of the local gossip, not particularly because it interested her but because it was the only source of entertainment for her. She didn't have the money or status to show her face around parties or performances by the troupes that stopped to play in town on their way to the Royal palace.

“They say the Phoenix Slayer is on his way to the capital,” the young master said in hushed tones.

“The Phoenix Slayer?” she asked, whispering.

“Honestly Jin, you don't know about the Phoenix Slayer?” he whispered back, looking around for eavesdroppers. The both of them would be punished if they were caught speaking informally with each other.

“No, I clearly do not.”

“He's only the deadliest assassin in all of Asia. No one survives after an encounter him. Rumors have it that he kills his targets as mercilessly and disturbingly as possible. He's a monster.”

There was a moment of silence.

“That sounds like a tale to scare children,” Jin commented.

"You can think it's false, but when the Phoenix Slayer strikes, you'll be sorry,” Jongin replied.

“I don't have anything to be sorry for. It's not as if such a deadly assassin would target a mere servant girl,” Jin said, as her final word.

“Servant girl! The guest has arrived. Bring the food out quickly! Quickly!” the lady of the house, called. Consequently, Jongin had disappeared from the kitchen.

Jin grabbed the heavy pots filled with stew and standard side dishes, clutching them tightly so that they did not fall out of her arms and not the floor. She exhaled in relief as she set down the delicious, mouthwatering dishes she’d made on the table in the dining room. Jin made her way back to the kitchen but stopped to peek in at the sitting room to see who the guest was.

She stood frozen into place as she studied him. He was nothing like she’d ever seen before. The guest was dressed in black from head to toe. His pants, loose fitting shirt and the thick cloak he donned were as dark as the midnight sky. The stranger had a peculiar look to him in appearance as well. His face was harsh and angular. His eyes were straighter, making her think he was foreign to Korea. His eyebrows were full, thick and slanting. His hair was black and long enough to cover a bit of his left eye. A dangerous, powerful air seemed to emanate from him.

Jin straightened up and hurried away hoping she hadn’t been caught looking at the him. Her heart pounded violently in her chest. She felt as if she’d done something wrong though she knew that wasn’t the case. The stranger’s intensity had affected her in ways she couldn’t explain. All she knew was that she was drawn to that intensity; and that made her feel more uncomfortable than ever.

The King had called upon Lord Kim for reasons unknown. Jin, as obedient as she was, questioned the action. It was not in her nature to be entirely subservient and therefore she spent the day producing wild theories as she did her chores. The house was empty with the exception of the brooding stranger in the guest room.

Jin hadn’t known the man would be staying overnight, but before she had gone to bed, she had been informed the stranger had the liberty to stay as long as he liked and to do whatever he pleased. Jin was sure this guest was an important man seeing as he was to be treated like the king. She wanted to avoid him at all cost but yet a part of her wanted to know what kind of man he was to have the Kim Family wrapped under his long, thin fingers.

In any case, her curiosity regarding the King’s summons was far greater than that of her curiosity towards the stranger. Her theories were at first, realistic. She assumed that the King wanted to personally congratulate Lord Kim due to the fact young master Junmyeon was now a civil servant. Over time, her theories grew wild and imaginative. She’d come up with a scenario in which Lord Kim had taken a bribe and the King was reprimanding him now. Jin hoped that wasn’t the case. She couldn’t afford to lose a position as the family’s servant.

“Do you have anything to eat here?” a deep, husky voice spoke. Jin froze. She’d completely forgotten to attend to the guest.

She dropped the slab of meat she’d been holding onto a plate in panic. Looking around the kitchen, she grabbed an extra loaf of bread she’d made the day before and some leftover porridge she’s made the Kim’s from this morning. She set in in front of the guest as he made himself comfortable at the dining table.

“I apologize for the inconvenience, my lord. I will take any punish you see fit,” she bowed, trembling in fear. Lady Kim gave punishments that which Jin would take days to recover from. This stranger was unpredictable and unknown to her. All she could do was hope he could spare some kindness.

“Do you believe that you are an inconvenience?” he asked.

She certainly did not, but she was tensed and hesitant to answer. Was he trying to trick her into a punishment? She cleared and opted for a neutral answer.

“Whether I believe I am an inconvenience or not, is of no consequence. Anyone with my status is not entitled to an opinion in the face of a superior,” she replied. She could have sworn she heard him chuckle at her words.

He rose from his seat having finished the bread and porridge. Jin’s eyes widened in shock. She wondered how anyone could possibly eat as quickly as he had. His eyes bore into hers, and all she could see in them was sincerity. She flushed at the direct attention she was receiving. She tore her eyes away from his, suddenly feeling hot.

“Everyone matters,” he said, and then he was gone.

The house was in an uproar after the visit to the palace. The only two individuals that seemed to have been unaffected were the guest, because he had not gone, and Jongin because he did not care much about anything to begin. Lady Kim had become ill to the point she was bed-ridden and not for the first time, Jin wished she could have been let in on family affairs. To be surrounded with them and not understand their actions was frustrating.

It was nighttime by the time she had finished her chores and put on her nightgown. The calming breeze allowed her to relax as she stepped outside. Jin liked to watch the stars. She could remember her mother telling her every star in the sky was a soul that could no longer live on earth and that those souls watched over and guided those that could still live. At one time Jin believed it. She would have still loved to believe it but Jin was not an innocent child anymore. She’d witnessed death, poverty, young women forced into ion all before the age of ten. After her mother’s death, Jin was not inclined to believe her mother was watching over her. It had been years living on the streets before Jin had taken initiative on her own and began to work to survive. That was when Jin learned that if she wanted to live, she would have to do it alone.

“I wish you were here mother. I wish I didn’t have to lift a finger to be able to live this comfortably. Why is it that I must settle for being a servant girl? Why can't I have more?" she murmured up at the sky.

There was a bit of childish hope in her that her mother was listening to her words. She wanted her mother to feel how tired she was, how desperate she was, how cynical she was. It was selfish and she hated herself for it. She wanted her mother back for the sole reason of wanting to be taken care of. She didn’t want Lady Kim screaming at her to do the chores, she didn’t want her muscles to ache day after day or her skin to harden from the labor. She wanted to be able to relax for just one day.

“You can have more, as long as you deserve it,” The stranger’s voice spoke, sending chills down her back. The low tones and the husky scratch of his voice were undeniably attractive. He was standing next to her now, staring up at the stars just as she’d been doing moments ago.

“What do you mean?” Jin asked.

He didn’t answer her question, but rather informed her of something else. His thin lips curved upwards to form a slight smirk.

“You should be careful when you talk to yourself at night. Your superiors may discover that you believe you aren’t an inconvenience,” he said.

He made to walk away, but this time Jin was faster. She caught his arm making him pause mid-stride.

“What’s your name?” she asked. She’d grown tired of referring to him as ‘the guest’ or ‘the stranger’ and after all the things he’d said to her, she believed he thought of her as an equal, at the least.

“Do you know how many people would pay copious amounts and possibly kill for that information?” he asked, with the raise of an eyebrow.

Jin released his sleeve. “I suppose far too many for you to have any desire to tell me.”

The stranger caught the hand she had lowered upon releasing his sleeve. He was warm and though his hands were rough and callused, she how much care he was taking to hold her, gently. Her breath hitched as the stranger pulled her closer so that she pressed up against him. She couldn't move as his dark eyes bore into hers.

"Would you believe I was like you once? Alone, and desperate to see what life could offer me. I had nothing at one time," the stranger spoke. "And I still have nothing now. Money doesn't mean a thing. What matters is how you earn it."

He released her and began to walk away, footsteps silent even on the hard stone of the courtyard. Jin couldn't help but call out to him. He paused in his tracks to listen to her.

"Even if earning it on your own matters more, you'd still have the money. No matter the means through which you earn it, money never hurts," she stated.

"Yifan," was all he said.

It was precisely a week after her encounter with the stranger when she finally realized he’d told her his name. She hadn’t seen him since then. He’d barely left the guest room, not even coming out for meals. Jin had been out into town on an errand when she’d come to the realization. A Chinese merchant had been in the town square selling charms and bracelets. Jin had of course stopped to examine them. She was fascinated with the little trinkets that came from abroad.

She’d been fixated on a certain charm that caught her eye. It was a small stone, painted with different shades of red. Jin had never seen anything quite like it. Thought it was simple and ordinary it was unique, and it stood out for her. The merchant had shaken his head muttering in Chinese and that was when Jin heard it. She’d asked him to repeat the word over again. She could have sworn him saying “Yi Fan” which she was sure the stranger had said during their last encounter.

“What does that mean?” she asked the merchant slowly, enunciating her words so that he would be able to understand. The merchant scratched his head in confusion, so she tried again.

“What is the meaning of Yi Fan?” she asked. Thankfully this time around the merchant was able to pick up some of her words. He laughed and smiled, nodding his head furiously.

“Means, common. Boring. Can be name,” the merchant had replied in broken Korean.

It had been at that moment the wall in her mind had broken down. Realizing that he'd entrusted her with his name had been overwhelming. His little gestures of kindness and tolerance had made an impact. Her heart wavered and just this once, she would allow herself to have feelings for this stranger. She knew it would be a one-sided love, a pitiful love but she could not help herself. The stranger was different. He did not allow their classes to dictate the way they interacted with each other.

After Jin completed preparing supper, she contemplated with the idea of talking to Yifan, the stranger. It had been clear he had been unwilling to tell her his name at first. She wasn’t sure she should be grateful he’d changed his mind. Yifan was an enigma. She didn’t know anything about him, and something told her, that knowing would mean something. Jin knew that merely knowing his name was dangerous. He’d claimed some would even kill to learn it.

Unconsciously, she found herself in front of the guest room. Now that she had arrived, she forced herself to knock on the door. When there was no response, she took the liberty of opening the door herself. Inside, Yifan sat on the edge of the neatly made bed, petting a bright red bird that had taken the liberty of making itself at home on his shoulder.

“Come in,” he commanded, “and shut the door.”

Jin did so and took a step forward. As soon as she’d done so the bird’s neck and snapped towards her and she swore it glared at her.

“I don’t think your bird likes me,” she whispered. She didn’t want to do anything to scare it off, especially when it seemed that Yifan was at ease with the creature on his shoulder.

“He won’t bite. Isn’t that right, Fenghuang?” Yifan questioned the bird.

“He’s beautiful. It’s almost as if he’s the Jujak.” Jin murmured.

The bird let out a loud screech and snapped its beak at her. Jin fought not to jump in shock. Yifan’s lips curved upwards into a genuine smile.

“He resembles Zhū Què, the Vermillion bird of the South. Fenghuang was the last surviving phoenix in all of China. Legends say all phoenixes were descendants of Zhū Què and each bore a piece of the deity’s soul. Fenghuang takes offense to the Korean equivalent. Our mythologies are not quite the same,” Yifan told her.

Jin hesitated, unsure how to approach, finding it a bit alarming that he was treating the bird, Fenghuang, as if it were human. She presumed she should do the same in case she offend the bird. She stepped closer and closer and she bowed. She couldn’t help but feel the phoenix deserved as much respect as any human would.

“It is an honor, Fenghuang,” she spoke to the bird. The phoenix clucked once and bent its neck forward as if to bow back at her.

“He’s smart,” she commented.

Yifan nodded in agreement. “He is. He also has to go hunt for game now.”

Jin straightened up. “There’s extra meat if you don’t want to let him out.”

Yifan shook his head as he walked towards the window, letting Fenghuang soar off in pursuit of a meal.

“He’s a natural predator. It’s the reason we get along so well.”

Another week passed and Lady Kim’s illness was worse than ever. Yifan watched her thin, frail body shudder as she laid her in bed. It was the dead of night and the woman was sure to be asleep in all the exhaustion her illness produced. He slipped on a leather glove and reached into his cloak, pulling out a pale pink flower. Yifan plucked two rounded petals off and crushed them in his hand. He silently walked over to the pot of boiling hot water on the thin wooden stand next to the Lady’s beside and dropped the flower petals in.

Yifan made his way over to the window, letting the saturate the water with the poison from the petals. He opened the window and as if on cue, Fenghuang soared through the opening and landed on his shoulder. He shut the window and walked back to the pot, covering his mouth and nose with his bare hand. He plunged his leather glove clad hand into the pot and removed the petals. He held his breath as he produced a pouch from inside his cloak and stored the