“My will is the same as before.”

At the words of King Lee Seon, heavy air filled the Cheonchujeon Hall. Although the winter wind was blocked by the tightly locked door, it didn’t even matter. The ministers’ faces hardened more coldly than before. Lee Seon looked at them one by one and said the following words with no room for compromise:

“I will call General Seo-gyeol back to Hanyang again.”

All of the ministers expressed intense opposition upon hearing the name Seo-gyeol.

“Your Majesty, General Seo-gyeol is a dangerous person to bring into the city.”

“General Seo-gyeol is said to be a very cruel person, like a beast who doesn’t show any kindness or courtesy.”

“He is a man who knows nothing but martial arts. I believe it is best to keep him in the North as it is right now to ward off the barbarians.”

“Please listen to us, Your Majesty!”

“Please listen to us!”

Desperate pleas came from their mouths. Among them, Nam Junbaek raised his cool eyes and said, “He who has never forgotten his father’s deeds.”

“... …”

“How can you say that you want to bring into the city someone who we do not know what he has been holding in his heart for the past 10 years?”

Junbaek did not raise his voice. In a low, low voice, he merely stated a fact that he would never forget. The incidents of ‘that day”.  True enough, it wasn’t only one who was agitated by those words. Terrified, the ministers raised their voices once more and added more enthusiasm to their plea.

“Stop!”

However, this time, Lee Seon had no intention of backing down. 

“He is a man who has left his hometown at a young age to take on the guilt of his innocence and is currently protecting the North. Isn’t that enough?”

“Oh, Your Majesty…”

“I am well aware of what you are all concerned about!”

“... …”

“The contributions of General Seo-gyeol who has faithfully defended the border in the north for a long period of time is invaluable.”

The ministers did not raise any objections. It was because they had to admit to themselves that there was no use in using force in the face of an undeniable fact. 

Lee Seon concluded in a firm voice, “Call General Seo-gyeol back to Hanyang.”

“The city is doomed…”


➽───────────────❥

In an unnamed snowfield located at the opposite side of Joseon across the Yalu River, at the foot of the mountain called Chiwon because of its abundance of weeds, there is a small tea leaf shop called ‘Shim Tea Shop’. Although it is located in a remote area far from inns, it was a place that a lot of regulars frequented because of its high-quality tea. However, the reason why the place was famous was not just the tea…

“Welcome to Shim Tea Shop!”

The owner of the place, Daniola, was the second reason. She belongs to the Juchen or Yeojin Tribe, and is very beautiful. Her shiny black hair looks like it had been cut out of the night sky on New Year’s eve. Her skin was clear and translucent. Underneath the clear, thin eyebrows, her dark, charcoal eyes twinkled and beneath the straight and cute nose bridge, plump lips bloomed like plum blossoms in the snow. A pretty and cute face that could not be easily forgotten once you see it.

In addition to her small and petite body, it was almost believable that the adorable lily of the valley reincarnated as a human. But Daniola’s strength wasn’t just her pretty face. She was fluent in several languages, especially the Korean language. She was so fluent that she would often be mistaken as a Korean.

“How may I help you?” Daniola asked. “Last week I received a lot of yellow tea and green tea from Myeong, and this morning, I received good Puer tea.”

“Tell me again.”

“Would you like tea? Yellow tea, green tea or Puer tea?”

“Hey, you speak Korean very well. How can the Doi (Yeojin Tribe people) speak the Hanyang dialect?”

Of course, she had a clear pronunciation, her speech and intonation did not have any awkwardness and she looked like a Korean to anyone who looked at her. It was all thanks to the teachings of the old Wang who had fed and clothed her. She was fluent in foreign languages as well as Ming and Joseon languages. Thanks to this, any customer was able to buy from her shop without difficulty. 

“How savage are you again?”

Moreover, unlike the blunt and old Wang, Daniola was kind and friendly to all guests. She had a lot of shortcomings compared to the old Wang but fortunately, she did not lose any regulars thanks to her wild personality and generosity. The only downside was that she was sometimes looked down on because of her soft heart and youthful appearance. Still, with her unique personality, she would just shake it off and laugh. 

Do the best you can with your given destiny.

That was Daniola’s creed.

“The Koreans like to call me Dan Yi.”

Daniola also preferred to be called Dan rather than the name that the old Wang gave her. Even though she had lived there all of her life, she was more comfortable speaking the language of Joseon than that of the Yeojin.

“Then it’s Dan, I’ll give you ten pounds of rice cake tea from Daehyeonsa.”

“Yes, please wait a minute!”

Daniola busily walked around the shop, serving customers. After serving customers all day, evening approached.

“Berkan, let’s have dinner,” Daniola said.

“Yes, sister.”

Berkan had been helping her with chores since he was a young man till he became an adult. When dealing with customers, you never know when you will be able to eat, so whenever she found a moment, she had to fill in her meals.

“Daniola sister, I’m here!”

Just as dinner was over, a small boy jumped into the shop. It was Ilan, the youngest regular customer of the shop.

“Ilan, did you come to buy tea today?”

“Yes! Give me the one I always buy.”

“Wait a minute, I’ll give it to you soon.”

Ilan sat down somewhere familiar and began chattering.

“Well, yesterday I was so bored so I went out together with the cow and when I came back my mother got really angry.”

“Did you leave without telling her again? She must have been surprised.”

“I’m the only one who runs errands everyday. My brother just stays at home.”

“Your brother is still very young. Maybe you should understand?”

“I’m afraid I’ll just lie down because I’m feeling sick.”

At those words, Daniola placed her hands on her hips and spoke as if swearing.

“Ilan, if you just rot inside doing nothing like that, the northern ghost will catch you.”

Ilan’s face turned white when he heard the word “northern ghost”. 

“The northern… northern ghost?”

“Yes, the northern ghost.”

The northern ghost was the nickname of General Seo-gyeol who guarded the northern border of Joseon. He was known for his brutality in killing strangers, regardless of age or gender, who crossed the border illegally. But there was another reason why Seo-gyeol was famous. It was because of rumors that he was cursed. Rumor has it that he has been cursed since long ago and that it only made him drink thick, strong tea instead of water. However, because of his cruel personality, he hires a tea attendant, and when he takes children, he eats them or abuses them horribly. The rumors were so horrendous that there was no one who did not know of the northern ghost here.

Well, it makes it easier to deal with troublemakers like Illan.

Daniola frightened Ilan to the end and sent him a tea bag. As she waved her hand, she exhaled lightly and looked up at the sky. On the west side of the clear sky, the orange glow of the evening light spread softly, and the white snowfield beneath it shone so beautifully it was dazzling. 

“Oh, it’s peaceful…”

Daniola had the best time of the day. The world seemed so peaceful if you just stood still and watched the sun setting quietly. 

“I had a good day today, Grandpa Wang.”

It had been two years since the old Wang who had fed and raised Daniola, who was not even his granddaughter, died. Daniola, who succeeded the shop, always had one wish. To live today like yesterday and to live tomorrow like today. Daniola closed her eyes and prayed that her fate would allow her to live a life like that. 

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“You had a busy day today, get some rest.”

Berkan went home, and Daniola, who closed the shop door, went up to the attic and laid down on a blanket. She closed her eyes and made a wish just like yesterday. 

‘Please make tomorrow the same as today.’

In the dark sky, a star shone brightly.