Scarlet heart - Seoul

Prologue

Prologue - A year and a half later

It had been almost six months since Go Ha Jin realized that her dreams and hallucinations of a life in the Goreyo era were infact memories, precious memories of her life as Hae Soo that she treasured and remembered constantly. And ever since she has kept trying to find pieces of her life at such places. Exhibitions, Museums anywhere that had anything about the Goreyo era, she was there. Searching. For memories. For answers. For even a trace of herself and that scarred man she feel in love with. And today was one such day. Wandering aimlessly around another museum.

"And to our right you can see paintings from the Goreyo era, although the artist and the people in the paintings remains yet unknown." The tour guide said pointing at the book inside the glass case, filled with beautiful paintings, whose colors had faded over the ages.

"As you can see, the colors are quite faded and the paper is quite delicate, so it is kept in this glass vault locked for the sake of preserving their beauty." the tour guide went on speaking, words which didn't even register in the mind of Go Ha Jin, for she was too busy staring at the beautiful paintings in the book, her heart feeling as though it was being filled with cement.

Some of the pictures, although fading, showcased a beautiful woman painted in shades of blue, turquoise, lavender and pink. Dark hair braided like a traditional Koran highborn lady, her beautiful face with deep and wise eyes looking off into the distance , she was the epitome of ancient elegance

"Lady Hae," Ha Jin slowly whispered, feeling her eyes well with unshed tears of unanswered questions.

"It's me. Soo'ya."

"How long has it been since I've seen your face Myung Hee," she said as a tear trailed down her face as her eyes scanned the rest of the book which was opened out and displayed.

Some of the pictures were simple outlines, of people helping each other carrying bags, laughing, crying and walking together. Peasants, refugees and slaves walking to the lands they were then sold to. Few more pictures down, delicately painted was the face of a familiar beauty

"Woo Hee'ya," she whispered again, her voice cracking from the emotions that were filling her heart faster than she thought possible "Baek Ah, your drawings don't do her beauty justice." she said voice wavering.

Her eyes scanned over the other pictures until stopping onto the last one. It was a beautiful portrait of a very familiar face

She smiled sadly at the doppelgänger of herself in the painting.

"So that's what I looked like as Hae Soo?" She mused looking at Baek Ah's painting of her.

"And over here!" the tour guide's loud voice said cutting through Ha Jin's train of thought "We have a painting of the emperor Gwangjong!"

Gwangjong.

Gwangjong.

G-Wang-jong.

Wang-Jong.

Wang-Jo.

Wang Jo.

Wang So.

The Fourth Prince.

Like dominoes falling apart and her mind left scrambling, in a daze, Ha Jin walked upto the portrait of the man who stole her heart.

Emperor Gwangjong, or as she remembered him, the Fourth Prince, Wang So.

He was painted older than she remembered, wearing the crown of a king and the kings robes. He was also painted without the scar on the side of his face. His eyes, once warm, kind and loving, stared down from the painting cold and cruel with the expression of the tyrant he was written down in history as.

Staring at the painting Ha Jin felt nothing but a wave of heartbreaking sadness.

Where did it go wrong? How could it have possibly have gone so wrong? She thought as she felt her heart crack under the guilt and sorrow.

"Emperor Gwangjong was know as a though and ruthless ruler who killed all his rivals and those who threatened his rein or disrupt peace, without mercy." The tour guide said gesturing to his portrait in front of the group "It is said that the nobles of Goreyo were particularly wary of him and his rule, as he managed to bring down much of their power and allowed the common people to rise to positions of power through a standardized civil service examinations he was also famous for freeing the slaves and the people who were conquered under the regime of his predecessors."

"And this brings us to an end of our tour," The tour guide said causing stir among her troupe of tourists and visitors "Please feel free to look around and ask is you have any questions."

Go Ha Jin felt a sense of restlessness creep into her sadness and made her way to the exhibit behind Gwangjong's portrait. What she saw made her suck in a ragged breath.

Two suits of armor was hung up, startlingly familiar armor. Both were black, but one was beautifully detailed with platinum and silver. With a start Ha Jin realized that one of the suits of armor that were hung was Prince Wang Wook's armor.

The last time I saw that armor was when king Taejo passed away Ha Jin thought bitterly remembering how both Wook and So battled each other in the middle of the palace courtyard. She had been equally scared to loose either of them. And now both were gone.

Looking down to the glass display below the armor she saw displayed were jewels and other treasures from the Goreyo era. Or what survived at least. Towards the corner of the display hidden or rather diminished by the beauty of the jewelry, sat a battered black and bronze half mask.

The tears that were Go Ha Jin's eyes came spilling out when she caught sight of that mask. It was the same one that she had taken off herself to cover his scar for the first time.

"What are you doing in between the royal jewelry?" She asked out loud feeling both slight amusement and sadness.

"Beautiful aren't they?" A man asked standing next to her.

"Yes." She said quietly wiping away her tears eyes still trained on the display

"but which one is your favorite in this?" The man asked, a hint of knowing amusement in his voice as though he already knew her answer expecting it to be one of the jewelry on display.

"That one." She said sniffing and pointing at the mask in the corner of the display.

"Really?" The man asked surprise in his voice.

"Yes." She said finally looking up from the display at the man and feeling as though she had been punched.

The man wore a simple black hoodie, jeans, hiking boots and a backpack but what made Ha Jin stare at the man was his face.

He looked exactly like the Fourth Prince.

She stood there as though she had been struck by lightning, gaping at him as he smiled down at her then walked away as quietly as he came.

The tears she held back came pouring down her face silently, and her cracked heart, which took so long to heal, fell to her shoes shattering into a million pieces.

With a grief stricken and ragged breath she could tell that the man had not recognized her, or rather who she had been.

"Hae Soo's story needs to be heard." She said her voice brittle and bitter but held as much conviction like an ancient promise.

"Our story must be heard."

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