𝕋ℍℝ𝕆𝕌𝔾ℍ 𝕋ℍ𝔼 ℕ𝕀𝔾ℍ𝕋

I N T R O

in the american museum of natural history, workers wheel in crates on their way to the newly built exhibit that had just been finished. it had been in the process of being built for over half a year, but after finally being finished, they brought in the artifacts for the exhibit.

the workers began to unpack the crates, taking out the figurines of two historical figures that had practically been forgotten and disregarded by their own culture. one was dressed in an elegant royal hanbok, while the other wore the garments of a lower ranking warrior. they were situated in the middle of the exhibit hall, looking over the rest of the area but where visitors could see them from all angles. the two figurines were placed in glass boxes, to represent that they were close, but still forbidden to be with one another.

a stone nine-tailed fox statue was situated nearby, looking over the other parts of the room. it loomed over the workers, the people growing slightly uneasy at its watchful eyes as they continued to go about their job finishing up.

last to be put up, was the more recently added part of the exhibit. it was a large portrait of the two siblings that had researched and discovered the history of the figures the exhibit was for. both of them were young, and close in age and relationship, if the way they grinned happily was anything to go off of.

the woman was shorter than her brother, her arm leaning on him as he was leaned down for her to reach, his arm wrapped around her waist. both were dressed in acceptable clothes for their time, the male in an airy white dress shirt and gray slacks, while the woman was in a long gray skirt that was high around her waist and with a white shirt tucked into it. they were in what was likely a study, books and papers strewn about everywhere and littering the available surfaces in the room.

the siblings were ahn harin and ahn yongmin, born in 1907 and 1909 respectively. during their lives, they were vastly interested in the unknown history of korea, and set their sights on the hidden story of the lost lovers of joseon.

the forgotten prince siwoo had fallen in love with one of the warriors that guarded him in the castle, named daehyun. due to their abnormal and "impure" romantic tendencies, they were forbidden from seeing each other, and daehyun was killed by order of the king. siwoo, in a fit of anger, depression, and heartbreak, hung himself the night his father told him of killing his love. after the tragedy of losing his youngest son, the king erased all public records of the prince and his forbidden love, leaving a small gap in history because of his shame.

upon coming across this gap, the ahn siblings delved further into korean history to find any reason for it. they eventually found what they sought, having found official records and personal accounts the former king never destroyed, in their search, and published it to the public.

this brought discrimination upon not only the siblings, but their family, and they would've been disowned had the war not happened, where they were eventually both killed under different circumstances.