In frustration, Hwon raises his voice. “How insolent! How dare you make me repeat. I shall ask again. What is your name? If you are a human, you should have a family name and a given name. If you are truly not a spirit, tell me your name.”
“A family name is given to those who have a father, and a given name to those who have a mother. But as I have neither a father nor a mother, I did not receive either.”
“You mean you have no name?”
“I… have lived without a name.”
“How frustrating. Are you toying with me again?”
“I have told you that I do not lie.”
“I’ve heard that all shamans must have a spiritual mother. What name does your spiritual mother call you?”
“My spiritual mother has never called me by a name.”
“How is that possible?”
“Afraid of the fate that will tie us by such a thing as a name, she has not named me.”
“What is your age?”
“As I have not counted the years, I do not know the answer.”
“Have you lived here for long?”
“For a long time, I lived entrapped here. For a very long time…”
“But your speech is not of a native here. Your speech is that of a person from Hanyang (the capital of Joseon, present-day Seoul), so you’re surely not from this area. Before arriving at this place, what was your identity?”
The woman’s eyes betray great sadness. But her voice remains calm.
“That is a story from long ago that I no longer remember.”
In anger, Hwon slams his shotglass back on the table.
“I’ve asked you so many questions, and yet you have answered none!”
“I’ve answered many questions, but Your Majesty has acknowledged none.”
“Exactly what have you answered?! Your name, your age? You have not even answered what kind of a shaman you are! Are you really even a shaman?”
“If you insist my answer is not satisfactory, shall I lie to you? If I lie, will you find that answer satisfactory?”
Hwon continues to drink without a word and silence fills the room. He opens his mouth once again.
“Where you sit is still too far. Come closer.”
The woman walks two steps closer to Hwon, and sits again.
“Where you sit is still too far. Come even closer.”
The woman eventually comes an arm-length distance from Hwon and sits again. Although that is still too far for Hwon, as there is no space to come even closer, he relents. In front of Hwon is the woman’s face, whiter than a white jade. She has long eyelashes, and under them are her dark eyes. And in front of Woon is the woman’s side profile. Although a person’s face can lie, her side profile cannot. And to Woon, her sadness is apparent. In order to not look at the woman, Woon puts his head down and closes his eyes. With a deep sigh, Hwon speaks.
“Do you see my heart flowing towards you?”
“Due to the ripples created by the moonlight, I do not see.”
“Do you not see, or will you not see? … Can I not embrace you?” [Note: The word "embrace" as used here can have a sexual connotation.]
“Afraid that your heart will be heavy as you leave, I will keep fastened the ribbon (of my shirt).”
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The Moon That Embraces The Sun Novel
قصص المراهقينThe Novel Version of The Moon That Embraces The Sun..
